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Griswold Airport Development Controversy

January 29, 2008

The Griswold airport site in Madison, CT has been embroiled in legal battles since 2000 over a proposed luxury housing development named Madison Landing. In November of that year, Leyland Development Corporation of New York, which is now known as Leyland Alliance, obtained an option to buy the 42-acre site and develop a 260 unit active adult living community. This option was exercised in 2007 and Leyland Alliance is currently pursuing a scaled-down 131 unit project. The development, however, has been stalled amid ongoing debate about the environmental impact of the project on the nearby Hammonasset State Park.

Specifically, there is concern among the state Department of Environmental Protection and environmental groups such as the Audubon Society and the Connecticut Fund for the Environment that the wastewater produced by the development will endanger the delicate ecosystem of the areas wetlands. A grassroots organization called Stop Griswold OverDevelopment, or SDOG, was formed to fight the construction and has been vocal in arguing that Leyland’s wastewater management plan is insufficient. Their efforts were dealt a blow on January 17^th, 2008 when the wastewater treatment system proposed by Leyland Alliance was tentatively approved by the CT DEP.

In the face of tough opposition, Leyland Alliance has not been alone in pushing for their housing development. A 2004 study by the Madison Economic Development Commission was supportive of the project, citing it as the best means of generating revenue for the town. In 2008 Madison is projected to face a budget deficit of $3 million and the $1.25 million net benefit expected from Madison Landing would provide much-needed revenue. The coming weeks will be an especially critical time in the ongoing dispute as both sides await a final ruling from Gina McCarthy, head of the CT DEP.

Filed under: Land Use Planning