In a Connecticut town where the market for new age-restricted housing is hot, a lifelong resident James Newbury contends his plan for what he calls The Estates at 100 Oakland will do more than just create another 69 detached and duplex condos.
Newbury contends his proposal will improve and expand wetlands on the 32-acre South Windsor parcel he owns, and will bring 11 units of much-needed affordable housing in a prime location near the town center.
He also argues that the project would generate about $1 million a year in new tax revenue for South Windsor without adding the cost of more schoolchildren, all while helping local seniors stay in town as they get older.
“I’ve owned the land for years, I grew up there. I want to do a project that’s good for the town,” Newbury said this week. “I could’ve done solar, I could’ve done apartments — maybe about 200. But I don’t want to maximize density for profits. This will be a plus for the town.
“My Realtor tells me that when a 55-and-over property goes on the market here, it’s gone right away,” he said. “I’m 71. There are so many people who raised families here, but have gotten older. I want those people to be able to stay in South Windsor.”
But a group of neighbors has banded together as South Windsor Initiative for Thoughtful Growth to oppose his plan, which goes to a continued hearing by the local wetlands board Sept. 3. Opponents fear the construction will harm wetlands and any wildlife living nearby.
“The permanent modifications to the stream bed, the surrounding wetlands, and the clearing of the forest habitat supported by the wetlands would certainly be irreversible and irretrievable!,” they say in a statement.
The two sides have each created websites to make their case: Newbury’s is www.100oakland.com and the opponents’ is www.savesouthwindsor.org.
South Windsor resident Don Newbury with his plans for The Estates at 100 Oakland. (Don Stacom/The Hartford Courant)
The opponents’ idea is that the town should buy the former farmland as open space.
“If the town were to purchase the 100 Oakland Road property, it could avoid a lengthy and costly battle between the developer and neighbors,” the organization says. “The developer would still receive fair compensation for the land — without the need to spend time and resources on development — and, as an abutter, could enjoy the benefits of preserved open space in his own backyard.
“Neighbors would protect the forest habitat behind their homes, and the broader community would benefit from maintaining the pastoral character of South Windsor for future generations.”
But the town currently has no budget allotted for buying that property, and Newbury is ready to get on with his project after years of planning.
Newbury argues that some opponents are misinformed. They refer to him clearing 32 acres, for instance, but his plan states that he’d build on 20 and preserve the other 12.
Newbury envisions homes ranging from 1,200 to 2,400 square feet. They’d be one floor with a basement and garage, and he estimates that prices would range from $400,000 to $650,000. To meet South Windsor’s requirement that 15% of new multifamily housing be affordable, he proposes to reserve 11 homes for owners earning less than 80% of the region’s average median income.
Most would have porches facing the new road and sidewalk that would be built through the property. Newbury said that’s important as a way for neighbors to stay connected as they get older. A homeowners association would be responsible for maintaining the new road, plowing and lawn mowing.
“We’ve had lots of friends raise their kids here, pay taxes for 30 years and then have to move to Vernon or Ellington to find a property available,” he said. “Even though it’s close, you don’t see them again.”
If Newbury’s plan gets through the wetlands review, he’ll go for approval from the planning and zoning commission in the fall. He’d like to begin construction in the spring, have the first units available for sale by late next fall and complete the entire project in about two years.
