Country club may become housing, solar installation
Woodbridge looking at ways to combine residents’ wishes
The fate of the 155-acre Country Club of Woodbridge property and main building remains in a holding pattern — for now.
First Selectwoman Beth Heller said she expects the Board of Selectmen to draft a request for proposal by the end of summer that could combine the wishes of the majority of residents.
After years of packed public discussions, controversy, Heller said the RFP would address multiple needs.
“The size of the CCW property provides flexibility and the ability to accommodate several uses including housing, open space, recreation and possibly solar,” Heller said.
“This property remains an issue because it is the largest tract of townowned land in a residential zone. The parcel has access to public sewer and water, which is not common in Woodbridge, and therefore provides an opportunity for multifamily housing.”
Some residents feel strongly the property should remain a refuge for wildlife and passive recreation, and yet another group is interested in putting solar panels at the property.
The Board of Selectmen is trying to find a way to make all three happen, Heller said.
The town purchased the property on Woodfield Road — a golf course, pool and clubhouse — for $7 million in 2009 to keep it from being developed after the owners went bankrupt. Since then, a golf course has failed financially and the pool, kept open longer than the building, has closed.
The question of what to do with the property has become a political hot button. The site is in a residential neighborhood and across the street from Route 15 (thought not near an entrance or exit ramp) and around the corner from New Haven.
The building that once was occupied by members-only stands faded and boarded up. The structure, closed to the public, is secure, Heller said.
The pool has been filled with sand. The hiking/walking area on the property is
rich with plants, wildlife and has become a popular passive recreation area in town. Hints of the once popular and well-tended golf course emerge at various intervals, such as the overgrown sand trap.
Heller said multifamily housing “with a component of affordable housing” will generate taxes to offset town expenses, as well as diversify the town’s housing stock “to include smaller more affordable housing for both young families and retirees.”
She said taxes are largely driven by education costs, which has made some residents concerned about adding more families.
On the other hand, “Some residents feel very strongly that the property is beautiful in its natural state and should remain a refuge for wildlife and passive recreation such as hiking and exploring nature,” Heller said.
She said the town has also explored putting solar panels in various parts of town, and “the former CCW is one of the few parcels with access to three-phase power where we could put a large-scale solar installation.”
“It remains clear that the town needs additional revenue and diverse housing, and this parcel is certainly one way toward achieving those goals,” Heller said.
A solar farm could also bring in revenue to offset energy costs on the site, she said.
“I also believe this parcel is particularly beautiful, and I understand residents’ desire to protect it,” Heller said.