I managed to get to the last so called-public hearing of the Planning and Zoning Commission which was to take public imput for the last time before its January decision on the proposed Lifestyle Center to be located in the North End Interchange Zone near I-691.

I arrived around 9 p.m. I figured I would be able to speak around 10 or 10:30 p.m. the latest.

 Now after the Town Manager gave his fiscal impact study and the Police and Fire Chief gave theirs, the Chairwoman Patty Flynn Harris allowed people to come up and ask questions of the Town Government officials. A few people asked some questions, but I was still waiting for the opportunity for general comments. I finally had to leave the meeting a little after 11 p.m. and the general public comments had still not commenced.

I know everything was legal, there were “comments” by the public, although limited in scope, but come on, allowing general comments after midnight!! That is outrageous. I couldn’t believe it. Most people work in the mornings and just could not afford to stay any later.

How many times do we have to keep hearing the Intervenor and W/S make essentially the same presentations over and over. A public hearing is to HEAR THE PUBLIC COMMENT ON WHAT ALREADY HAS BEEN PRESENTED.

Now Roberts Rules of Order do call for public comments to take place at the end of a meeting in which public comments are allowed, and for those who are not aware, public comments do not even have to be allowed at a general meeting. But this WAS a public hearing. It was sad that people had to wait until Wednesday morning literally to speak their piece. It was really upsetting to me.

I did notice that the Town Council Chambers were filled and I was glad. It did not matter who was on what side. What mattered was that people showed up. I know the people opposing the Lifestyle Center and the residential portion obtained approximately 595 signatures, so that was some sort of opinion I guess. Of course I will hear the other side saying it is not a mandate. Of course it isn’t, but I believe the turning over of the Planning and Zoning from a Democrat ruled entity to now six Republicans and three Democrats WAS!

And the other big shocker of the night, the projected revenue from this Lifestyle Center which will include a hotel, conference center, fitness center, movie theater, 140 units of condominums–a one time shot of approximately $1.3 million!!

The annual recurring revenue, according to our Town Manager, would be in the area of $2.6 million with some of this figure based on full retail occupany and the mill rate (taxes) would be the same.!!

Milone also told the P and Z that this occupany rate “could” affect personal property taxes if the housing is not fully occupied, but all fairness, no one really knows the answer to that question. We would have to wait and see.

Of course, I couldn’t wait to hear the impact this Lifestyle Center would have on our public safety, especially my friends at the Police Department, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Ok- rough estimate by Chief Cruess, five more officers-one per shift. Chief Cruess did tell the P and Z that this project would not put the Police Department “over the edge” thank God!!  I don’t think the Chief is off at all in his estimates of man/woman power up at this Lifestyle Center. This is necessary because this project going to bring in a LOT of people, especially when it first opens.

The Police Chief made a point that because the Lifestyle Center is located in the North East quadrant of town, if an officer received a call and they were at the Hamden line, which is at the completely other end of the spectrum, it would take roughly, in his estimate, 6 to 8 eight minutes to arrive . What? Come on people, when I was younger my brother and I went from Waterbury to Stratford in 15 minutes!! (it was like 3 a.m. in the morning–whatever! Those days are gone.

Now, each officer would cost 8 to 9,000 dollars to train and equip and of course, we would need a new cruiser at a price tag of approximately $40,000. . So the grand total to the town so some people can shop at Barnes and Noble and eat at Panera and shop at Coldwater Creek and see a movie would be approximately $173,569. You had better be buying a LOT of clothes, working that body night and day and eating and shopping until you are dropping people, for that pricetag.

And oh, that doesn’t include a new fire pumping engine at a cost of $1.2 million. What did the Town Manager said the revenue for the town would be? Start adding-against all these costs. Hmm!!

Now another point of discussion was this disparity over just how many school children would enter Cheshire Schools if and when these 140 condo units are built. W/S says 11 and the Intervenor for Westfield or more legally Meriden Square 2 and 3 or 7 of nine or something, I lost count (I hate numbers-they are just so —impersonal), this Data Corp estimates the number will be 29. A local resident got up at that don’t blink or you missed it public hearing, and said that he estimated there would be at least 100 more students.

Supt of Schools Greg Florio in a letter to the P and Z, stated there would be little or no impact on the school system. So there you have it, three people, three different figures. Take your pick.

There was also a discussion by the Intervenor on the declining housing market (or the soft market). Condos are soft now, they are declining in value. So you might pay as much as the projected $325,000 per condo or as little as $188,000 or even $250,000 which would not make the condos attractive because there would be plenty of empty ones in Cheshire at that price after everyone sold theirs and moved to the Lifestyle Center.

W/S  Representative Lou Massiello countered the housing slump claim offered by the Intervenor by stating quite loudly and passionately I might add, that “none of us know what the housing market will do.” 

He added that a vast amount of the tax revenue will be from commercial not from the housing part of the Lifestyle Center.

My suggestion to Cheshire, build this project in phases. Do not build the stores, the condo’s, the theater, the fitness center, the movie theater, the conference center, the hotel ALL AT ONCE. Get your feet wet Cheshire, by building the stores first, even though residential can be built quicker and see faster revenue, Cheshire has to get used to seeing a lot more people than we now have, traveling through this town. Take it one step at a time, evaluate and then continue on if needed.

My next post will focus on Trumbull Shopping Park–its location–its traffic flow–and its problems and its successes.

INXS-"Don't Change"-for my Australian readers