Reader Advises,
Re; Reason
For Moratorium Idea
On Age-Restricted Housing
Another Reader Exclaims:
Go figure!!!!!!!!
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "As The World":
HAS ANYONE BEEN FOLLOWING THE RECENT MANEUVER BY DEPACE TO PLACE A MORATORIUM ON AGE RESTRICTED HOUSING AND WHY??
Age restricted communities are a huge advantage to Towns. They are tax dollar cash cows with little to no $$ burden to the Towns. The Town doesn’t pay for road and infrastructure maintenance, lighting, etc. And because no children under the are of 18 years of are allowed to live in these communities, there is no $$ burden on the school system, which is the largest line item in a Town’s budget. And many of the people that own these homes head South for the winter, again less burden on Town services.
In the 2000 census, there were 45,200 people in Enfield. 6,200 were 65 and older. The census does not give a statistic for number of people 55 to 64 but that's probably at least another 6,000 people. How many 55 age restricted units have been approved in Enfield that are not yet build or sold. The project by Dartmore is "assisted living" and not built yet (Not the type of age restricted the PZC is focusing on). Then there's Troiano's project of 42 units not yet built, oh, did I say Troiano? There are a dozen units for sale at the project across from the police station (new and resales). Not sure about the project out on Taylor Road. So could there be 60 to 70 units approved or available. That's a needle in the haystack when there's a population of 12,000 or more that could potentially want these homes.
So, what is the urgency for a moratorium??? Why can't the Commission do whatever review or evaluation of the regulations that it feels necessary to do without imposing a moratorium?? Or is there some other "hidden agenda" or motive???? Consistent with what's been going on in Enfield Town politics which is the subject of various investigations???
Troiano's have been unsuccessfully trying to sell their 42 unit age restricted parcel for the past year and a half for a price tag of non less than $1,700,000.00? Won't the moratorium buy the Troiano's more time to sell or if other’s are approved, will that adversely affect Troiano? Let's see: 1) There's not an over abundance of age restricted units in Enfield, 2) No one is breaking down the doors to get a huge amount of age restricted units approved in Enfield, 3) There are numerous good reasons to have move age restricted units in Enfield which were listed earlier not the least of which is producing substantial tax revenues for the Town which will not be matched by a substantial tax burden. So why a moratorium???? Why is DePace leading the PZC ring leader? Connect the dots!!! All roads lead to...."
Posted by Anonymous to The Cool Justice Report at 4:05 PM
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "As The World":
Are you kidding? Are you dump? Don't anyone know the connection between DePace and Troiano. What's new? Why do you think the investigators are looking into the land deal where Enfield Fed is now located. CVS was denied locating on that site. But somehow, Troiano was approved, not only for the Bank but also for a huge office building. Go figure!!!!!!!!
You're right, all roads lead to....
Posted by Anonymous to The Cool Justice Report at 4:20 PM
17 comments:
That figures, here's a way for the Town to get substantial tax dollars to help out with our out of control taxes. But instead of being concerned about our heavy tax load, the head of the Commission is more concerned about you know who....
Not the first time, not the last time until some faces change on that Commission!!!! When will the citizens wake up!!!
It's not like seniors don't use town services. Much of the social services budget goes to senior services: Dial-A-Ride, Senior Center, Housing Authority etc.
Meanwhile the people you see on TV complaining about the social services budget are all senior citizens. Don't forget about the debt we're paying off for the new senior center. So are these people hypocrites or what? What happened to kids taking care of their parents?
So who's going to pay for the social services that these folks use? Who's going to pay for Dial-A-Ride to drive them to the doctors and to the senior center?
The Taylor Road folks were applying for a zone change- to change farmland zoned I-1 into residential R-33
They would then have to come back for another hearing to actually build on the newly minted R-33 land.
Of all the uses for that property, residential is the least efficient. Even though 55+ doesn't use the schools, residents expect the town to cater to them in ways that employees and shoppers don't. Also, unlike residential property, industrial/residential actually use their land and buildings to make money, wheras residential does not;.
Residential property doesn't make money the way industrial, commercial, and retail property do.
Although the retirement crowd doesn't use as many town services, they're all on fixed incomes.
Especially with an "assisted living" group are they going to have lots of money to contribute to taxes?
These do not sound like rich geezers looking for luxury retirement. This sounds like folks who are barely making it.
Do you really think rich retirees would want to move to Enfield? Why wouldn't they move to Florida?
Geezer subdivisions are not going to help the grand list; businesses are.
Look deeper and you'll see that $$$ are the real motive for the age-restricted development. Not tax $$$ for the town, but $$$ for the developer.
The age-restricted developments have everything to do with the condo moratorioum. When the condo concept was originally rolled out in Enfield, it was primarily used to construct owner-occupied garden apartments. Eventually developers figured out that condos were an easy way to get around the density restrictions imposed by zoning. What this meant was more units per acre and more $$$ for the developer. The problem is that the town got careless in regulating them. One passed through that didn't have a maintenance decoration. The condo folks began demanding more town services. It began with trash collection requests. They wanted to have their cake and eat it too. They built private roads that were significantly below ConnDOT standards that were privately plowed. Despite this, they wanted town garbage trucks to drive down the private roads to pick up their trash, instead of putting their trash barrels out front on a public road
Of course, there was a big outcry leading to a moratorium on condo units that weren't 55+. Condo developers have figured out that they can get around it by making it 55+ and have been building these retirement homes on some of the best pieces of land in town.
I don't think this is just DiPace and Troiano. A lot of this ties to the outcry over floods on Somers Road coming from the Shaker Heights subdivision, which is 55+.
Maybe you haven't seen the minutes from recent TC meetings, but condo trash is one of the issues. I really think that part of the moratorioum has to do with folks not wanting to see their new 55+ condo neighbors demanding public trash collection, leaf pickup, and plowing on the private road they cheaped out in building.
Ok, let see. Trash collection. And oh yes, trash collection. And, let's not forget trash collection.
I live in the active adult community across from the police station and I pay $6,000 a year in taxes. We pay for our own roads to be maintained, pay for our own lighting, etc. None of the owners have one child in the school system. And oh yes, think the Town has agreed to collect our trash. That's a big.... cost for to the Town for the $6,000 I contribute in taxes each year.
Be real!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Multiply that by 56 units here in this complex. That's $336,000. Not many businesses in Town generate that kind of tax revenue.
Have you looked at the proposed budget for 07-08? Total Expenditures are $117MM, Total Education is $70MM. Total for Dial a ride, Adult Daycare and Senior Center is $1,2MM. So let's put this tax dollar expenditures for Seniors in perspective. So if these active adult communities can give us the kind of revenue they're talking about, lets approve hundreds of them. Bring um on!!!!!!!!!!!!
I own a number of properties both residential and commercial in the Town of Enfield (for which the real estate taxes are going skyhigh). Anytime my properties have cause a problem in the past, ie drainage, the Town has forced me to resolve the problems and pay for the problems. If the cause of the drainage problems out at Taylor Road is the fault of the 55 and over development, it should be up to that developer to resolve the problems.
How, with saying that, if the problems are caused by that development, it's not because it's 55 and over. Any type of development could have caused the problems. Again, it's up to the Town engineers to over see such things and make the developer resolve the problems.
As far as active adult communities are concerned in general, wake up. These are the best kinds of developments for our Town. Anyone with a light on can figure the positive economics to the Town.
I agree, bring um on!
I'm 60 years old and have live in Enfield for the past 30 years in a Starr colonial. My wife and I are tired of climbing stairs and so we are considering an active adult community and would like to stay in Town. We have been speaking to alot of our neighbors and friends and they feel likewise.
I've also been reading the newspaper and following your blog and have concluded that you don't have to go to Washington for shenanigans, there's plenty of it right here in our own Town government.
I read in the Journal Inquirer recently that the PZC want to declare a moratorium on these active adult communities. Jose Giner is quoted as saying that there has only been four approved. I think that's in the past five years.
Yet, the PZC Chairman, DiPace wants a moratorium because he's worry about what to do if a developer comes in with an application for 300 units.
I have also read all of the comments on this blog on this issue and I find it hard to believe that this is Mr. DiPace's real concern, if you know what I mean.
Let's face it, like all kinds of housing, active adult communities are market driven. Right now, the real estate market is softer than it's been in several years. So I don't think anyone is going to come in with an application for 300 units of anything.
But four things are for sure: 1)as more and more of us get older (and there's about 12,000 of us 55 or older in this Town), we want this kind of housing, 2) There's little of it available in this Town (70 or so units as per previous comments), and 3) The economic benefit to the Town is huge, and 4) You don't have to go to Washington for shenanigans, it's right here, called the Moratorium Shenanigans!
Seems to be there are two kinds of "elders" living in Enfield. One, comfortably able to afford one of the these new luxury 55+ age restricted condos, while the other, is having a hard time just keeping up with the the tax increases on their long time Enfield home.
So how many elderly, again, having trouble keeping up w/their taxes and soaring heating, electric, etc. could even make enough selling an older Starr home to afford one of these new, age restricted condo (with their never ending condo fee)? Likely not enough to justify building that many more condo in Enfield.
I drive by a condo complex every Monday a.m., and it never fails that bags and bags of garbage and leaves are sitting out on the main road, awaiting pick-up. So while the town trucks don't travel through the complex, this garbage is being picked up by the town.
Who's tax $$$ is supporting this service?
>> I'm 60 years old and have live in Enfield for the past 30 years in a Starr colonial.
My suggestion, buy one of the many
older Starr ranches listed in Enfield right now. They're generally priced far cheaper than a 55+ condo, and what you'd spend on the monthly condo fee, could be used to hire a lawn and plow service. Plus, you won't have some condo association telling you what to do!
"I work hard for my money", hum, sounds like the title of an old song. And thank God, in American, one can spend their hard earned money as they please.
If you want to stay in your Starr ranch, God bless you. For me, I'd like something more updated and the freedom of that choice. After all, that's what America stands for.
>> For me, I'd like something more updated and the freedom of that choice. After all, that's what America stands for.
If I want a ranch-style home, I can
buy a piece of property, hire a builder, get the proper permits, and bingo, there's my new home. One new house.
You want a new updated 55+ condo, well, buy one of the many already up for sale in Enfield. But don't expect me to embrace an entire new development just because you want one new modern unit. Often these condos are built on specs and can take years to fill one phase.
See the difference? In America, your wishes don't take precedences over my wishes.
>>> Multiply that by 56 units here in this complex. That's $336,000. Not many businesses in Town generate that kind of tax revenue.
If the Town was really interested in generating more revenue they would have sold the Asnuntuck Community College property to the State for its fair market value, as opposed to a piddly $2 million. Or they would have fought harder to get all the $$$ owed the Town from the prisons for their water and sewage usage.
Somehow Enfield officials are more focused on sticking it to the lowly taxpaying homeowners. That doesn't make any sense.
So the idea of building more 55+ just so the Town can reap more tax $$$ from condo owners, doesn't much interest me. These 55+ taxpayers are merely seen as the "golden geese". That's pathetic way to fund a Town.
>> Have you looked at the proposed budget for 07-08? Total Expenditures are $117MM, Total Education is $70MM.
And $142K is now going to the superintendent, who was just voted a 3.5% raise by BOE. I don't know about you, but I don't make that kind of $$. And doubt many in Enfield do.
And how much more of the budget is going to the unionized teachers and staff? The majority of the ed budget goes to salaries. Not to books, computers, not to classroom furniture or maintaining existing structures and fields.
You'd need how many new 55+ units just to compensate for education salaries??
I say cut these salaries and find more industries to shoulder the tax burden. And vote out those on current BOE. Enough of this taxing the little guys to death.
$$$ TO THE DEVELOPERS
I have been reading the responses to some of the comments regarding the proposed moratorium for over 55 active adult housing. Is everyone just confused, or just concerned about themselves? The developemnt, and sales of Real Estate has allways been governed, or controlled by supply and demand.
So why does a few citizens, or a town's PZC. care about the cost or location of new Real Estate. The developers takes all the risk. Not the neighbors or the town. For example. A wost case, these $300,000-400,000. units dont sell. What happens? The prices comes down the builder suffers, and the public gains. If they all sell, and they allways eventually do everyone is happy. So what is the problem? Political corruption creats problems! Morotorium are created for two purpose; 1.To slow down over development that is a burden to a city or town. 2. To supress competition. What is the real reason in Enfield? From my information there is only one application, and it is a reapplication from a developer that was turned down a few bonths ago, because it was too large a project. It appears as the Enfield PZC has a motive. Don't you?
If this is a temporary moratorium, why can't they wait another 6-12 months?
Also, if the point of this is communities without kids, why not just ban kids? Senior citizens with a kid could live in the 55+ communities. How come only senior citizens can create a community without kids? Why aren't there towns in CT that don't have any kids at all? That way you don't have to run any kind of school system and save big time on taxes?
PZC MEETING 07/26/2007
Regarding the over 55 housing moratorium. After attending last night's P&Z meeting, I a have feeling, that the P&ZC members are finally waking up, and finding out that six is stronger than 1. That Tony (Soprano) De Pace is not the boss.
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