Dear Editor:
We are a group of neighbors who are concerned about the proposed text amendment before the Planning and Zoning Commission. The zoning codes balance the interests of homeowners and developers and should not be modified at the whim of a single constituency.
While this amendment is proposed as part of the ongoing battle between Grace Farms and its neighbors, it has ramifications well beyond that portion of our community. The idea that an organization in town can have multiple primary uses should be frightening to any New Canaan resident.
Our neighborhood borders St. Luke’s School, and we have joined together at various times to ensure that the school’s plans balance their educational needs with our rights as property owners. We shudder to think what could occur if the school were to someday decide that they wanted another primary use that was peripheral or unrelated to their educational mission. Yet this proposed text amendment would allow this.
Neighbors of Silver Hill, the YMCA and other New Canaan institutions should be equally concerned by this amendment. Our town is enriched by its various institutions, but they need to remain subject to rules that balance their interests with those of their surrounding communities.
We have gotten all too used to people using the zoning code as a starting point for negotiations rather than a limitation upon development, but this goes even a step further. Essentially, this is a case of an organization deciding that since the codes prevent them from doing what they want, they should endeavor to change them. We trust that the commission sees through this effort and chooses to continue protecting the homeowners of New Canaan.
Sincerely,
Steve and Miriam Sosnick
Haik and Lynn Kavookjian
Joe and Kathy Sweeney
Ron Meckler and Jackie Shapiro
Hugh and Judy Wiley
Michael and Kay Conover
Mark and Deirdre Rajkowski
Keith and Marina Richey