After attending several of the public hearings on the Shelter Ridge project, I felt strongly that the Planning and Zoning Commission should reject this project as it does not follow the city’s Plan of Conservation and Development.
The POCD was written to prevent over development and to preserve open spaces and trail systems. That plan provided clear guidance and prioritized important community issues to meet the needs of Shelton’s citizens, not the self-interests of profit-motivated developers.
The current application for the Shelter Ridge project is a ten-year odyssey that devastates 121 acres of open space. By allowing this project to go forward, P&Z creates a mirror image of the Boston Post Road complete with strip centers, massive traffic, no architectural theme, and the loss of Shelton’s rural identity.
Compounding the problems from Shelter Ridge, P&Z approved five additional projects on Bridgeport Avenue to develop 300+ homes, apartments, and condos. All approved, seemingly, without a comprehensive unified plan that controls growth and considers the collective economic impact on the city’s infrastructure and services.
In conclusion, Shelton’s POCD language is clear: “limit PDDs to projects that produce superior development and are compatible with surrounding properties and overall community character” with densities and uses that are in keeping with neighborhoods and districts. This guidance has been supported by Commissioner Jimmy Tickey and hundreds of residents.
I appeal to the P&Z Commission to “Vote NO” to any variance or waiver that would allow the Shelter Ridge development to go forward.
The writer is a Shelton resident.
