Residents speak out against Nod Road development at public hearing in Avon
AVON – For the third public hearing on the matter in a row, scores of frustrated people packed into the Avon Middle School Cafeteria Tuesday night to discuss a controversial proposed housing development on Nod Road currently facing the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
At the hearing, the commission continued its consideration of whether the development team, Simsbury-based Keystone Companies LLC and Sunlight Construction Inc., would have their request approved for a zone change on a parcel of land on Nod Road.
The land in question is currently home to the private golf course Blue Fox Run, yet it is the intention of Keystone Companies to convert about 37 acres of that site from agricultural use to residential use — a request that requires the town’s approval should the housing development get the green light.
Part of that conversion includes the construction of 95 condo-style homes and three estate homes. With the remaining 183 acres, Keystone would place the land into a conservation easement and provide the town with an 18-hole public golf course.
Scores of primarily older residents sat in the vast majority of the plastic blue chairs lined up for the hearing. Some in attendance wore green shirts with the phrase “Save Nod Road” emblazoned on them, and others bore a sticker with the same slogan. Few seats were empty by the time the discussion began.
Tuesday’s hearing focused solely on the zone change.
In a break from prior hearings, residents were given the chance to voice their concerns in a public comment section first. They expressed their desire for the open space to be preserved, worries over flash flooding and chemical spills, dissatisfaction with traffic and the large presence of developers in the town over the past few decades — and even pointed to Keystone and Sunlight as distributing literature to residents they found insulting.
“Don’t be misled; development will happen. All the signatures and nostalgic stories in the world can’t change that. Saving Nod Road isn’t saving anything,” Lynn Pollack, 64, read off from various handouts.
The contentious debate has spawned the formation of an opposing group called Nod Preservation, Inc. — a conglomerate of residents and non-residents who have started a petition to prevent the development. Members have cited their desire to preserve the scenic nature of the route, along with environmental concerns, as part of their reasoning for going against the project.
The group has enlisted the help of attorney Brian Smith to fight on their behalf, and he has said that downsides to the proposed development could be avoided by simply not approving the requested zone change.
Jean Groothuis, 80, and her husband Richard, 82, have lived in East Avon for more than 50 years. Over time, they have witnessed the town change dramatically. When they first moved to the community, Jean said, there was only one small grocery store on Route 44.
But now, with threats of climate change rising — which has caused flooding on the golf course, Richard said — and commercial development encroaching on the town, the couple said they were worried the proposed housing would pose as a threat to the environment, as well as the town’s character.
“There’s very little agricultural land left in Avon,” Richard said. “It has a certain character, and we don’t like to see that character change.”
Smith, in reading his summation of the issue to the board, said the proposal put forth by the applicants was inconsistent with the plan of conservation development adopted by the commission, which highlights Avon’s natural resources.
He said the development would fragment a large and continuous open space, cause harm to public trust and natural resources and pose a threat to human safety and welfare.
“The applicants mistakenly argue that the commission is without jurisdiction and can’t consider our petition,” Smith said. “I respectfully submit this commission does have that very jurisdiction to consider wildlife and plant habitats, among many other things.” Consultants and engineers for the project reiterated points made at a previous hearing, and said environmental studies concluded there would be little impact, while economic analyses pointed to benefits like increased consumer spending and tax benefits.
Developers said the land at Blue Fox Run was already fragmented, and that it may be possible for the applicants to suggest recommendations to mitigate traffic impact as a result of the construction.
Keystone Managing Director Anthony Giorgio said early in his remarks that over the course of this debate, there has been a tremendous amount of character assassination, and that there was no need to engage in it further. He addressed the benefits in approving the proposal that his colleagues made before.
Then Giorgio told the commission that “there’s been a great deal of noise from a small, vocal, well-organized minority,” aimed at those in attendance, who promptly booed.
He advised the eight members on the board to not “fall victim to the notion that the only people who really care about this are the ones who are getting paid. … The silent majority is relying on you to make a decision on their behalf.”
To wrap up the discussion, commission member Thomas Armstrong acknowledged that it was a contentious issue, but that the board appreciated the input offered by both sides.
The public hearing was then closed at 8:52 p.m., and Armstrong said that the next meeting on the issue would occur on Sept. 10, likely also in the cafeteria and at the same time. A final vote on three items will be taken at the time, including on the petitions and overall application.