To the Editor:
Hello. My name is Dave Ackert. I used to live in Monroe, but now reside in Newtown, where we are also dealing with an onslaught of egregious development proposals similar to the 99 unit condo proposal in Monroe called Quarry Ridge. Not only do large residential developments irreparably destroy our dwindling natural resources, but they do not positively impact town budgets.
The American Farmland Trust conducted 83 Cost of Community Service (COCS) studies in 19 states found that tax and other revenues collected from farm, ranch and forest landowners more than covered the public service costs these lands incur.
Like traditional fiscal impact analyses, COCS studies show that on average, residential development generates significant tax revenue but requires costly public services that typically are subsidized by revenues from commercial and industrial land uses (see attached graph).
Also, I’m not sure about Monroe’s P&Z Commission, but we recently learned that Newtown’s P&Z Commission was unaware of the CT DEEP Natural Diversity Database.
Looking at DEEP’s Natural Diversity Database Map, it looks like the proposed Quary Ridge property is quite close to an area that has been identified as an area with State and Federal listed species and critical habitats present. When this happens, developers need to ask DEEP to conduct an NDDB review, as required by law.
Here is a link to the Monroe NDDB map: https://www.depdata.ct.gov/…/endangeredspecie…/nd085.pdf. I hope some of the neighbors and P&Z commissioners will see this letter and contact DEEP to initiate a review.
Dave Ackert
Sandy Hook
Seems like these large developments with expensive homes also have a negative impact on the percentage of affordable housing in town.