The Trumbull Town Council, in a 16-3 bipartisan vote with one abstention, paved the way for the town to purchase five parcels of property totaling 25.32 acres on Hardy Lane. The property abuts the Pequonnock River Valley and is surrounded by approximately 300 single-family homes in the Church Hill Road area.
Trumbull has been discussing the purchase of this property on and off for approximately twenty years. The Land Acquisition Committee was reconstituted in 2018 and began meeting last year. After extensive review of the Hardy Lane property and other properties throughout town, the Land Acquisition Committee recommended that the town consider purchasing the property. On October 21, 2020, the Planning and Zoning Commission in a 5-0 bipartisan vote recommended purchase. The Town Council was given all relevant documents to review in advance of its November 5th meeting. The purchase price has been negotiated at $6,995,000. Two appraisals of the property were conducted to inform negotiations.
“I want to thank our Land Acquisition Committee members, Planning and Zoning Commissioners, and Town Council Representatives for their diligence in considering this important property in the center of our town. This purchase allows us to control the future of this property instead of ending up reacting to a situation that may not be in the best interest of the Trumbull Community. Any high-density development in this area would change the character of this long-established single-family residential area. We have no immediate plans for the property. We will land bank it, and any future considerations will be subject to additional review and approvals and public input,” stated First Selectman Vicki Tesoro.
The Trumbull Board of Finance and Town Council authorized bonding for land acquisition in early 2020. The property will be purchased with 20-year municipal bonds. The town has not made a large acreage land purchase in a number of years.