Letter To The Editor: 'Preserve The Identity Of Bethel'

As a lifelong Bethel resident, for years, decades now, I have been steadily, and increasingly disturbed, and disappointed at the ongoing failures and missteps of the Bethel town planning and zoning commission, with regards to building and construction decisions. This pattern of behavior has been going on for decades, and those responsible continue, at the expense of our town’s rural and historic identity, to permit abominations of “multi-family“ or “Affordable housing units” condos and generally ugly and poorly planned, placed, and built structures. It appears Bethel wants to “develop” so desperately that it doesn’t care about how it feels to live here, or how dangerous the traffic flow gets, or how stressed and aggressive toward each other it’s own citizens slowly but surely become. All for the sake of “Economic Growth” it appears that Bethel is hell-bent on becoming Ridgefield, along with all the clogged roads, traffic and stress that comes with it.

It is a mistake.

We are our own town with our own history, identity, and future. Bethel started as a rural farmland community along the old Indian Path to what is now Danbury. We gained independence as a religious community, and played no small part in the American Revolution and the greater struggle for independence of our nation. We flourished in the time of the railroad and local Industry. We are a place to raise families, And to care for our neighbors. We’re a place to establish beautiful, quirky and successful local businesses. We are a place to walk in the woods, along clean streams and open fields that once were and still could be. We can be! But we have to be careful. And we have to care.

We need to preserve our farmlands, woodlands and open spaces. We need beautiful parks. And We need to replant, and let grow, the huge ancient shade trees that once famously lined our town streets. We need to bury the power lines. And we need to care for our historic buildings, road and railways. We need to steward and administer a town that maintains the beauty and charm that made people want to live here in the first place!

To continue this haphazard over-development is self defeating; It is greedy and short-sighted. Of course people need places to live; We all do. But how, where, and in what quantity and quality are these “Houses” being built?

As someone who has lived in Bethel my entire life, I truly feel insulted that my taxes continue to climb, representing things that are not in the best interest of our beautiful small town. As such, my taxes need not, and should not raise a dime. As the town population and tax base grow rapidly, it has plenty of new revenue with which to fund associated costs. At the risk of alienating its own citizens, I insist the town find a way to grandfather in the existing residents in order to keep our taxes at existing levels. It is possible, and it is a legitimate compromise to achieve the housing needs of the future community while taking care of its devoted generations of lifelong residents.

Until our planning, zoning, and Budget committees get this right, Until they work to understand, recapture and preserve the identity of the town of Bethel, for itself and its citizens, Anything else is an insult.

Nico Jordan,
Bethel