Conn. Environmental Commissioner Defends Haddam Sweetheart De

The man supposedly in charge of protecting the Connecticut’s environment has finally broken his silence on a land swap in which a significant parcel of conservation land was given to a group of developers.

Commissioner Daniel Esty spoke to a group of disgruntled Haddam residents demanding to know why he approved the controversial land swap deal. Esty had remained silent throughout the discussion about the deal, and decided to answer questions only after it was a done deal.

At issue was a 17-acre parcel along the Connecticut River which was purchased by the state Dept. of Environmental Protection for $1.3 million in 2003 with funds meant to preserve important parcels of conservation land. A group of developers who own a banquet facility next door decided it would boost businesss if they could build a small inn or some other attractive business there.

They offered to swap a piece of land they owned elsewhere in town for the land next door. This was 87 acres of land that these business bozos had bought two years ago for $400,000 for a housing development that went bust. No one was willing to buy it.

Esty claims it’s a good deal - 87 acres for 17 acres – but look at the relative values.

Esty told the group there was no legal restriction to selling it (giving it away would be more accurate) to a private developer. He also defended the swap on the basis of the amount of land the state would acquire.

“The prospect of getting five times as much land was attractive,” Esty is reported to have told the group. Not a word about the importance of preserving important habitat along the river. No consideration for the ecological or environmental value of the land. Only the acreage matters, and the business interests of a few developers.

In Connecticut the fox is in charge of the henhouse.            

Greed Trumps Conservation in Connecticut

Connecticut Gov. Daniel P. Malloy has signed into law a bill that paves the way for swapping an ecologically-significant state-owned wildlife sanctuary along the Connecticut River for a developer’s unwanted and relatively worthless parcel elsewhere in the state.

Beyond the loss of an important habitat, Gov. Mallory’s thoughtless acceptance of the claim that a developer’s desire to enhance his business interests outweighs the broader but less monetarily quantifiable need to preserve an ecologically important parcel of land, puts all conservation efforts in jeopardy.

The parcel in question is a 17 acre wildlife refuge along the Connecticut River in Haddam, Conn., purchased – with taxpayer money – for $1.3 million in 2003 by the state under a program meant to preserve open space. That would have seemed to ensure that the land would have remained undeveloped. Not so!

The land sits next door to the Riverhouse banquet facility owned by a group of developers who believe a small inn or something similar would help their business. They just happen to have a parcel of land in another part of town which they bought as part of a previously failed business venture. They paid about $400,000 two years ago for the property. They have been unable to sell it or do anything with it since then.

Then they got the bright idea that they could unload it on the state for the far more desirable property next to their restaurant. They have the backing of the local business community and at least one powerful state legislator. The governor apparently agreed with them.

There may be a few bumps along the way before the deal is done. For one, independent appraisers need to verify that the swap is a fair deal. At first glance it wouldn't seem so, given the difference in value, but given Connecticut’s well-deserved reputation for political corruption and its abysmal record on environmental issues, I’m not holding out much hope.

Conn. DEP strangely silent on Haddam conservation land swap

The state agency charged with protecting and preserving that state’s environment has yet to issue an opinion on a land swap proposal that would turn over 17 acres of state-owned conservation land to private developers.

For conservationists, the outcome has far-reaching implications. It casts into doubt the whole concept of preserving ecologically-important land if there is no assurance that protections will last into perpetuity.

The state purchased the parcel, which sits on a bluff above the Connecticut River, for more than $2 million in 2003 for the purpose of preserving the ecologically sensitive tract. Now a group of developers would like to build a hotel-retail complex on the property.  They propose to give the state 87 acres of land they own a few miles away. They only paid $450,000 for it two years ago, as part of a failed housing development.

The developers have an ally in the legislature who has included the swap in a routine state property conveyance bill.

Now legislators are asking for guidance from the state Dept. of Environmental Protection, but so far none has been forthcoming. The legislature adjourns tomorrow, and many are saying if they don’t hear from the agency, the proposal will be tabled for another year.

An article in today’s Hartford Courant outlines some of the political infighting surrounding this proposal.