It was in 2015 that West End residents found themselves having to fight the spot zoning that would have permitted JJ Sullivan to put a propane terminal at the corner of Rte. 1 and Moose Hill Road, a hazardous intersection. Though it was sensitive land, the Wetlands Chairman cast the deciding vote in favor of the project, saying that he believed the propane terminal would be no more damaging to the property than the allowed residential use. Ultimately, the cost of the project became too high, and Sullivan dropped the plan, moving it to North Branford, where it fizzled.

After that event, the West End Planning Committee outlined a plan that imagined possible uses for the current Sullivan property—the very site where a developer now proposes to build a massive sportsplex. The Planning and Zoning Commission’s proposed rezoning regulations, as written, ignore many of our committee’s recommendations, leading concerned Guilford residents to once again find themselves trying to defend the land against the greed of developers who see property as a cash asset rather than an irreplaceable environmental asset. Septic management, loss of sensitive habitat, runoff, and traffic overload are of little concern to the monetized culture we live in. There is a way around all of it if one is willing to spend the money. But there is no guarantee that the losses will be acceptable. It will be left to the future to realize that we lost more than we bargained for. Inappropriate use cannot be undone. I’m willing to state that a large, disingenuously named sportsplex, overuse of housing units, pavement, and addition of a stunning amount of traffic entering Route 1 at a cramped rotary (which had aimed to alleviate a small, backed-up intersection at Route 22), is a misstep unworthy of the town of Guilford.

Elssa Green

Guilford