Town Buys Library Land

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Town buys library land Darien Times, The (CT) - December 27, 2007 Author: Susan Shultz, Times Reporter With the Darien Library preparing to vacate its home downtown when its new building opens by 2009, the town jumped at a chance to buy the property. But how the property would be used led to a long debate over the summer. In early June, the Board of Selectmen approved the purchase of the downtown library property for $4.2 million. That same week, the Board of Finance approved the appropriation for the property, but with one stipulation, that it be used for affordable housing. The amendment to the resolution, which was proposed by Martha Banks and passed 5-1, made the appropriation contingent upon the property being used "exclusively for affordable housing." Following the amendment's passing, the vote to appropriate the money for the library property was unanimous. The resolution presented to the board included changes that had been suggested by the Board of Finance the previous week and had been incorporated by J. Wayne Fox, town counsel. The board was in agreement that the new resolution reflected its thoughts and changes. Banks commented that she would not be comfortable, though, approving the appropriation without some type of specification that the property would be used for affordable housing. She said approving the money without that specification was like providing the town "a blank check for the use of the land." "This is too expensive to permit this," she said. Banks said while she supported the town's efforts to increase affordable housing, she did not recommend rushing through the decision. The Board of Selectmen opted not to include a specification on what the land would be used for in its resolution to purchase the property. That resolution then went to the Representative Town Meeting. Despite that resolution not specifying use, Representative Town Meeting Moderator Karen Armour added such a specification to the final resolution presented to the RTM, according to Fox and finance board member Peter Hovell. At the end of the Board of Selectmen resolution, Armour added the phrase, "Be it further resolved that should the property in question be developed by the town for affordable housing, that it be used for the development of elderly units as defined by the Connecticut General Statutes." The following Monday, the Representative Town Meeting voted 52-11, with four abstentions, to enter into contract with the library to purchase the 1.993-acre property at 35 Leroy Ave. for $4.125 million. The RTM then voted 54-7, with three abstentions, to appropriate $4.2 million for bonding and purchase of the property. The $75,000 difference covers financial costs. The real hang-up at the meeting came because of the Board of Finance's affordable housing stipulation. Robert Young of District 3, then chairman of the RTM Planning, Zoning & Housing Committee, said when his committee originally voted to support the proposal, it did so without the affordable housing stipulation. But when the committee met again just before the RTM meeting, it decided that "designating it for affordable housing is exclusionary" and the town "should not preclude other uses at this time." Young proposed an amendment to the resolution that would eliminate the last paragraph about affordable housing. After much debate, that motion was passed 60-5, with one abstention.

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5/15/2008

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The Board of Finance voted 6-1 later that month to approve the library purchase without the affordable housing stipulation that it had added, and the Representative Town Meeting had subsequently removed, to the resolution. The contract was signed in the fall to finalize the sale. The balance of the sale price, in the amount of $3 million will be paid off in the spring, and the library is expected to vacate the building by March of 2009. It will move down the street to a new building, which is currently under construction. [email protected] Section: News Page: 1A, 8A Record Number: 11DD57698C2FCBF8 Copyright, 2007, The Darien Times

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5/15/2008