Oxford Economic Development Director Herman Schuler wants to see the rock from this land moved to a hole in the ground at the Oxford Airport, about a mile away.
The move, Schuler said, could bring income and jobs to town — and cut down on truck traffic during potential construction of a hangar at Oxford Airport.
The land is Lot 10 at the Woodruff Hill Industrial Park, in the northern part of town.
Oxford owns the land, and wants to sell it to Claris Corporation so the construction company can blast through the rock slope and use the material for the hangar project at the Oxford Airport. Click here to view information on the town’s website.
A similar proposal came before voters at a town meeting in 2008, but a contract approved by voters has since expired while Claris waits for the go-ahead to build the hangar.
Now the town has renegotiated that contract. Because of major changes to the plan, voters will have another chance to weigh in on it at a town meeting, which will likely take place at the end of January, Schuler said.
The proposal takes into account two economic development projects — one to build a hangar at Oxford Airport, and one to develop several acres of open land into the Woodruff Hill Industrial Park.
The Hangar
Plans call for the construction of a $33 million, 273,000 square-foot hangar on 10 acres at the DOT-owned airport.
The airplane hangar will be built by Keystone Aviation. It will house 30 corporate jets for Key Air Corporation, a charter plane company affiliated with Keystone.
The hangar and office space will be constructed on the southeastern side of the airport parallel to runway 36, according to information from a DOT press release.
The DOT held a public hearing on the plans last month.
The proposed site sits several feet below the level of the airport, and would need thousands of cubic yards of fill to be built on.
The Woodruff Hill Industrial Park
Lot 10 is about 10.5 acres of wooded rocky land.
In order to be developed, about 282,000 cubic yards of material would need to be removed from the site, according to a site plan on file at the town.
If that excavation took place, the land would fit an 85,000 square foot building, plus almost 90 parking spots, according to the site plan.
Schuler envisions a “flex” building, like the one pictured, that could house several different companies. Assuming the building is ever constructed, Schuler said it could bring in about $85,000 a year in tax revenue to the town.
The Match
The hangar project needs the fill. The town wants to have Lot 10 excavated so it can bring in a new business there. So Schuler says the land sale becomes a perfect match.
And because Lot 10 is so close to the airport, Schuler said if Claris uses that fill for the hangar project, it will cut down on trucks traveling through town from Waterbury and Orange.
The town wants $350,000 for the land.
“This is an easy question,” Schuler said. “Do you want $350,000, or do you want a bunch of dump trucks?”
Concerns
When the land deal was first proposed, the town’s Republican Town Committee expressed several concerns. The group thought $350,000 wasn’t enough money for the land, and worried that the way the contract was pitched by town leaders was not the way it appeared in print.
They were also concerned that Claris wouldn’t hold up its side of the bargain.
Those concerns are highlighted in minutes of a town meeting held about the proposal, where residents ultimately approved the previous contract. Click here to open a PDF version of those minutes.
David Yish, a Republican selectman, said he is still evaluating the proposal and hasn’t made a decision yet.
But, he said, he and other Republicans will watch the proposal closely throughout the process to make sure the town is getting a good deal.
“I’ve been looking at the issue for a long time,” Yish said. “I’m still not convinced one way or another yet. I’ve been trying to balance these concerns.”
Republican Town Committee chairman member Richard Burke did not return calls and e‑mails seeking comment.
New Vs. Old Contract
Schuler said the new proposed contract — which is still being drafted — is different from the contract voters approved in 2008.
“The primary difference was that the original contract provided an option to remove the material for $100,000 and not buy the property afterward,” Schuler said.
The benefit of the first contract was that Claris would have the material from the land, and Oxford would have a “significantly improved lot which we could have sold.” Schuler said.
The new contract has Claris purchase the property out-right for $350,000, 15 days after the state gives approvals for the Oxford Airport hangar.
The contract, if approved by voters at a town meeting, would expire in August 2012.
