Griswold Airport Letter

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January 13, 2001

Dear Audubon Member,

As a member of Menunkatuck Audubon Society and National Audubon, we are want to call your attention to a serious threat to our environment.

Leyland Development of New York has requested Madison to amend its zoning regulations to allow 260 dwelling units in multiple and single family attached and detached residences plus community and recreational facilities on the 42.5 acre site of the Griswold Airport (only 30 acres upland). Building heights could reach 50 to 65 ft. including " ... spires, cupolas, towers, widows walks, chimneys, flagpoles and similar features..." The visual impact from the Post Road and Hammonasset Park would be appalling.

The airport has about 2,800 ft. of boundary with hundreds of acres of highly productive salt marshes at Hammonasset State Park. These marshes and adjacent areas are used for nesting by several endangered species, and are a primary east coast magnet for migratory birds seeking resting and feeding areas.

Much of the airport is within the coastal flood hazard area. A development of this extraordinary magnitude would require extensive filling and grading with consequent erosion and sedimentation. Once built, the runoff from acres of roads, driveways and other impervious surfaces, as well as the fertilizers and pesticides from lawns and gardens would seriously degrade the surrounding wetlands and watercourses, and negatively affect their ability to sustain wildlife.

With your help, this threat to our environment and ecology can be prevented. Your voice is extremely important. Please write to the Madison Planning & Zoning Commission to state your opposition to this inappropriate development and please attend the public heating on this application. The heating maybe on Thursday, February 15. The date will be published in the Shore Line Times twice at weekly intervals before the hearing. Correspondence should be sent well before February 15 to:

Madison Planning & Zoning Commission
8 Campus Dr.
Madison 06443

Remember: To stop this enormously out of scale development, we all have to voice our opposition.

The Board of Directors
Menunkatuck Audubon Society
Henry Ferris, President