Tells RP civic he's got concerns with Fairfield By Drew Crouthamel ROCKY POINT--Councilman Kevin McCarrick has expressed concerns over the planned Fairfield at Rocky Point development, saying that the builders were not providing enough of a public benefit to the community given the impact of the project. At a meeting recently with members of Rocky Point's downtown revitalization committee, the councilman said $3 million offered up to Rocky Point by developer Gary Broxmeyer "was not nearly enough" money, given the fact that the town was allowing them to build 235 residential units on 33 acres. Current zoning allows 45 single-family homes, but school officials said that scenario would have a negative impact on the school district, given the fact that single-family homes would attract families with children entering Rocky Point schools. In contrast, the Fairfield project, on the edge of downtown, incorporates smart-growth concepts, including apartments above commercial space for young persons just entering the workforce, an extensive sidewalk system and courtyards. In exchange for higher density, the developers of this planned development district would provide public benefits to Rocky Point, in the form of a new school administration building, ball fields, and a building for a concession stand and bathroom. In addition, the developers have offered up an indoor pool that was rejected by school officials. Recently, the community has tossed out the idea of a community center; at the same time, civic leaders have talked about using the public benefit to bring a sewage system to the downtown. That portion of the public benefit, be it a pool, community center or sewage system, has been valued at $3 million, but the exact amount is negotiable. The community held a charrette a year and a half ago, and civic leaders said they thought the community was united in support of the Fairfield project. So when Mr. McCarrick expressed his concerns, civic leaders and a representative for the developer said they were taken aback. "The applicant has worked diligently for the better part of five years to incorporate every request made by the community," said attorney Steven Losquadro, who represents Mr. Broxmeyer. "To the extent the councilman has additional concerns, we will certainly endeavor to address them in a timely fashion. We value and appreciate his input." Even before the charrette, held in the spring of 2005, Mr. McCarrick said he had concerns over the scope of the project and the amount that the developer would give back to the community. He recognized that civic leaders, including Jane Bonner, Diane Burke and Richard Johannesen, believe the project would help to revitalize the downtown by putting housing within walking distance of stores. After his discussion with them, Mr. McCarrick said he would explore the possibility of using part of the public benefit to build a sewage system for the downtown district. Businesses now depend on their own cesspools for their waste, and community leaders say for the downtown to grow and prosper it needs expanded sewage capacity. The councilman said he was ready to ask for an engineering study to find out how much a downtown sewage system would cost. Ms. Burke, who is president of the civic association, said she supported doubling the sewage capacity and connecting the downtown sewers with the sewage treatment plant that will be part of the Fairfield development. The cost to do that, though, is unclear until further study is done. Ms. Burke said she told Mr. Losquadro: "What we expect to support the project is sewage for downtown and everything you've already said you'd give the school. He's going to go back to Fairfield and go from there."
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