Land Swap Opponents Launch Website

A group of residents opposing the proposed 17.8-acre land swap in Haddam has created a website dedicated to the issue.

The site seeks to inform those interested in the issue about the history and politics of the proposal, and to convince them the swap would set a dangerous precedent that would “make all State of Connecticut open space vulnerable to developers.”

The site includes news stories and videos about the proposal, testimony on it that was given recently before the General Assembly, photographs of the land and the deed for it.

Under a “You Can Help,” tab, the site also includes contact links to several state leaders, including Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Sen. Eileen Daily, D-Westbrook, who backs the plan.

Sharon Botelle, one of the opposition leaders who helped develop the website, said opponents wanted “to put everything we had in one place so that residents … could make an informed decision and understand why we oppose this swap. This is still a work in progress, but we wanted to get it up and running as we don't know when the Senate votes on it before going to the House.”

She said land swap opponents intend to send a link to the website to members of the state Senate, where the land swap proposal is currently pending.

“I guess it was my hope that by sending this site to the senators, they would have a good understanding of what the opposition is thinking.  I hope that this web site provides the necessary information - there is nothing on it that I do not believe is not true.  People reading the information can make their own judgment …”

The land swap plan is contained in a Senate conveyance bill that was approved about two weeks ago by a legislative committee. Under the proposal, the state would give the 17.8-acres in Tylerville, purchased several years ago by the state along with other Connecticut River land, to the developers of the Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station, in exchange for 87 acres the banquet facility partners own in the Higganum section of Haddam.

The Tylerville land overlooks the Connecticut River and abuts the Riverhouse developers’ banquet facility. The partners have proposed building a boutique hotel on the site and associated retail space. They argue the deal is a good one overall for the region because the Tylerville land does not have good public access and does not front on the river.

They also argue that the forested Higganum land, which abuts the Cockaponset State Forest, could be added to the state forest and would give residents greater access to the park. It would also mean the Higganum land would be preserved as open space. A portion of the property previously was approved for a housing subdivision.

The Riverhouse partners have said they are being unfairly characterized as greedy developers by the land swap opponents. They point out that it was officials from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection who first suggested to them the idea of the land swap and that they would clean up the land and remain good stewards of it.

At the same time, they have said the development they would seek on the property would encourage greater tourism in the area and provide a boost to the local economy.

This is the third year in a row Daily has sought to broker the land swap in the General Assembly. In a meeting last week before residents in East Haddam, she defended her support of the proposal, saying she “believes totally that this project is good for the state, good for Haddam and good for East Haddam.”