waveny.net

I have never read such selfish fiction as I found on a website devoted to defending the capitalist notion that we should sacrifice our public parkland for a New Canaan-based Continuing Care Retirement Community.

The website ccrcfornc.org states:

Q: Was this the type of Waveny land usage envisioned by Mrs. Ruth Lapham Lloyd?

A: Most definitely.

Q: Are “Open Space” and a CCRC on Lapham Road mutually exclusive concepts?

A: Absolutely not

Statements like “Most definitely” and “Absolutely not” do not allow for debate, they are absolute and definitive. Statements such as these are definitively one-sided and absolutely preferential. They want this facility built on our public park solely for financial reasons and they will put forth only the information that benefits their tenacious efforts to destroy woodlands in the name of financial gain. Read the site!

On a personal level, I currently face the difficult process of transitioning my father from Home Care to a Life-Care Facility. Currently we are looking for just such a facility as a CCRC. Finding issue with the development of a CCRC in Waveny Park is something that contradicts my own personal needs. I would love nothing more than to end my interstate commute and long-distance worry and have my father here with me, at home in New Canaan.

I wouldn’t have written this post if it weren’t for this statement:

“Like the majority of projects built to-date on Waveny land, a CCRC on Lapham Road would be situated on its perimeter – allowing for the continued preservation of wide expanses of openness throughout the heart of the property.”

…the continued preservation of openness? WHAT? openness???? You mean, we had a forest, without which there would be no life on planet earth. Someone came and destroyed the abundant flora and fauna of a beautiful New England woodlands to create openness. Now we care about preserving openness? Honestly, are there any conservation organizations that preserve an empty field? You can’t breathe without trees, people!

Read the website ccrcfornc.org and you will likely be stopped short of breath by the outright deceptive perspective.

From ccrcfornc.org:

“A CCRC project built on Town-owned land would be done through a lease agreement, wherein the Town would receive annual lease payments in excess of $1M. This steady and dependable boost to the Town’s annual revenue could help launch yet-unfunded special town projects, maintain and improve park grounds, or even fund the purchase of additional land for Open Space use.”

Does this paragraph make sense to you? Destroy our park so we can have money to buy a new park?

From ccrcfornc.org:

“We are committed to a project pricing structure that reflects the economic diversity of the Town of New Canaan, with units priced well below the average/median price or assessed value of homes in town.”

According to Zillow.com that price today is; New Canaan $1,038,900. “Well below that”, could represent the information on AARP.org – Entrance fees of $400,000 with monthly dues of $2,500. Unfortunately even those costs, from existing CCRC’s in neighborhoods nowhere near the caliber of New Canaan, preclude admitting my 83 year old father; retired business executive and long-term resident of New Canaan.

From Wikipedia:

Continuing-care communities are ideal for seniors that may be living in isolation, and would like to be immersed in a hospitable environment with other people of the same age. Typically, a range of activities and amenities are provided for both recreation and resource. However, CCRCs are costly, and vary widely in entrance and recurring fees. Often, a life-care contract is required, and the stipulations within such contracts can also vary in terms of service. It is important for any considering such contracts to have anelder law attorney review its terms and ensure legitimacy.

From seniorresource.com:

“CCRCs are highly regulated in some states but no federal agency oversees retirement communities. The Continuing Care Accreditation Commisson (CCAC), a private nonprofit organizaiton, accredits these communities. ….For more information contact the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission www.ccaconline.org.”

It is questionable if my father will still be with us by the time we cut down the trees, pave over the fields, develop the earth for concrete foundations and construct so many commercial buildings in Waveny Park. What is unquestionable is the fact that a New Canaan CCRC will replace nature with an exclusive facility, according to George M. “…for 200-250 units (mostly holding 2 people in each).”

From ccrcfornc.org:

“More importantly, a CCRC on the site would be developed to fit into the hillside and not obstruct the vistas from either Waveny Park or Lapham Road. This former dairy farm pasture-turned-scrub-forest-and-mulch pile would be enhanced and beautified to increase its open space features and accommodate a CCRC.”

How are they going to hide 200 homes, administration buildings, care facilities, septic accommodations, driveways, garbage containment, massive traffic flow, vehicles and more?

Again, on a personal level, I find the ways New Canaan has changed over the past 10 years to be upsetting. I plan on moving away within the next decade, but just as I wrote the State of Connecticut almost 30 years ago pleading not to widen the Merritt Parkway, I hope you will all consider we have athe few acres of public land left in New Canaan. If the wealthy want a home, they can afford it. Without a full disclosure of proposed costs per unit, number of units, number of residents and overall environmental and economic costs, I am 100% opposed to destroying Lapham Road with traffic for hundreds of new residents.