Politics & Government

Optimism Prevails at Wilton Town Meeting on Easement for Keiser Family Land

Tuesday's town meeting, including presentations and public comment, took just over an hour. After the meeting adjourned, about 200 residents filed into the foyer to vote.

Tuesday night the Clune Center at Wilton High School filled rapidly with about 200 residents attending the special town meeting on whether to acquire a conservation easement for the 39.5 acre Keiser property at 105 Seeley Road. 

After Bob Russell was selected to serve as moderator for the meeting, First Selectman Brennan presented background on the proposal.

"We have  an opportunity to preserve this beautiful and precious land," Brennan said, praising the Keiser famiy for their "extraordinary generosity over the last two decades."  Brennan said the Keiser family has previously donated five parcels of land totaling 31 acres to the Wilton Land Trust dating back to 1991, all within the Cannondale neighborhood, and asked Peter and Florence Keiser to stand, which met with applause.

Find out what's happening in Wiltonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The great recession played havoc with real estate values but the goal of the town to preserve open space never changed," Brennan said, adding that the proposal is consistent with the town's Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). "Speaking on behalf of the Board of Selectmen we strongly urge you to vote yes."

Pet Sesto, Director of Environmental Affairs, said she hopes for positive news on Saturday night. "The best things in life are worth waiting for," she added before launching a slide presentation listing facts and key benefits of the proposal.

Find out what's happening in Wiltonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • In 1994, Wilton had approximately 2,800 acres of open space. By 2010 there was less than half of that.
  • Now there is 1,657 acres of protected open space. Or 9% of Wilton. (This does not count ball fields, cemeteries or other facilities).
    - 909 acres are town owned
    - 748 acres are owned by the Land Trust 
  • 1,000 ft of the Norwalk River runs through the parcel
  • Connectivitiy. The Keiser land connects open space all the way to Devil’s Den
  • Cultural significance. The main house dates to 1756.

Explaining how an easement works, Sesto said it essentially means buying the development rights of the land and emphasized that the town is not taking on the maintenance responsibility. The easement prevents development of the land, with the exception of 4 acres the Keiser family is holding onto.

Sesto explained that the easement also allows  agricultural use, such as Christmas tree farm in the northeast corner of the property, and it also protects the river. Additional benefits of the easement are that it would afford hiking and fishing and protected views for the public's enjoyment, according to Sesto. 

"If the land were not protected there would be 13 building lots and the town would have to build a road," Sesto said, explaining that although the cost is $2.2M for the town, with the Land Trust paying $300,000, the town portion would be bonded over 20 years. Sesto said that due to Public Act 490 the land is taxed for its actual use rather than its potential use which means the taxes will be about $400 with the easement and that the cost to the average homeowner would increase about $20 a year.

Warren Serenbetz reported that the Board of Finance had discussed tax implications including loss of tax that would be associated the property being developed residentially. He noted however that if developed with 13 lots, the town would bear the costs of educating children of 13 families.

"We concur with Ms Sesto’s conclusion that the average homeowner’s tax would go up $20 a year," Serenbetz said adding that the Board of Finance voted unanimously that the project be approved by the town. 

"It's an amazing property we’re getting for an amazing value," Serenbetz concluded.

During the public comments period, each of which was limited to three minutes, the Silvana Cicchini expressed concerns and asked why couldn't the funds be raised privately through the Land Trust. "I'd like to see a special vote to get back lost school programs," Cicchini said.   

Serenbetz replied, "We have Triple A rating and this would leave room for future projects.   We’re not even close to impacting our AAA rating." 

Chris Skillin of Wild Duck Road questioned the math, directing his concern to Serenbetz. "If the average taxpayer pays $20 a year for $2.2 million over 20 years at 3%, it’s not interest free debt, the principle cost and debt service cost, how does $20 per household add up. I think it’s deceptive, only taking about the cost to service the debt and not the cost of principle."

Serenbetz acquiesced, agreeing the total cost to homeowners might be closer to $35 a year than the estimated $20.

"We’ve been hearing for years about the need for austerity and belt tightening and we have a fight every year for funding for various programs, whether it be facilities for schools, or Comstock," Skillin said. "... and squeezing nickels every year for programs that benefit a wide portion of town."

"The finance committee should be prepared, come budget time, to explain why they approved $2.2M for a field. To me this is an economic question," Skillin warned.

"This is not a capital project that just came in over the transom," Brennan said. "We didn’t just decide to buy open space, we have the POCD that calls for us to preserve open space selectively. This land has been identified as prime land. If we miss the window when its open, it’s gone forever. Gone for all generations in the future. We think it’s a prudent use of the town’s funds."

Other voices during the public comment portion were mostly in strong support of the proposal, such as Jim McSweeney, who said he had lived in Wilton for 37 years. "I speak in favor. It’s a priceless piece of property. Just the fact that the river goes through it. I think it's a fair price and in a few years no one will remember how much was paid."   

After a motion to adjourn, approximately 200 in attendance headed to the foyer to vote on a simple yes or no ballot. 

Voting continues on Sat. Nov. 23 from 9:00-5:00p.m. at the Clune Center. Also, absentee ballots are available from the Town Clerk's office at Town Hall from Wed., Nov. 20 through Friday Nov. 22, wth a deadline for return of 4:30p.m. on Fri., Nov. 22.



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here