At their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 20, the Ridgefield Planning & Zoning Commission discussed the petitions submitted by Eureka V LLC on the Bennetts Pond property, and after 40 minutes voted unanimously (8-0, with one Commissioner absent) to direct Town Planner Oswald Inglese to draft notices of denial on both petitions.

The final vote will be taken on the notices of denial on September 7, after the language is reviewed by the Commissioners and their counsel (the Commission does not meet during the month of August). We are very pleased with this outcome, which demonstrates that our efforts to present to the Commission the multitude of problems which would result from Eureka's plans were very effective. While the Commissioners' discussion centered around the language of the petitions which limited their detailed review of the project if the petitions had been adopted as proposed, many of them also voiced concerns about the density of what
would have been allowed had the vote gone the other way. Several members of the Commission made it clear that approval would not necessarily be granted if the developers simply re-word the proposed regulations and resubmit them with no other changes in the density and content of their plan.

The P&Z's denial of Eureka's petitions represents the first battle in what will likely be a long war, and we are currently preparing for their next move. We would like to thank the public for their support of our efforts to defeat Eureka's petitions - public attendance and participation during the four nights of public hearings was extremely high. Over 80 people spoke in opposition to Eureka's proposed mixed use development, and not one in favor of their plans. There is growing support for our efforts from within Ridgefield as well as from the surrounding and downstream towns, and we intend to ensure that all affected residents, Ridgefielders and non-Ridgefielders alike, are kept informed and stay involved as this process continues.

The coming weeks will be a critical time to solidify public opinion in favor of the preservation of Bennetts Pond, and to maintain awareness of area residents of the continued threat of development in the wake of the P&Z's unanimous vote to draft notices of denial of Eureka V LLC's petitions.

One very visible way to help raise awareness is by placing a green and white ROSA yard sign (it reads: "The 2nd Battle of Ridgefield - Save Bennetts Pond!") on your front lawn. Our support has come from all over Ridgefield and beyond, and we'd like to see a visible demonstration of that support. We have recently purchased a quantity of signs, and hope that you will consider aiding our cause by purchasing a sign and prominently displaying it on your property to demonstrate the broad base of support for the preservation of the property which was evidenced throughout the public hearing process.

You may order your sign by calling ROSA's hotline at 431-6662 or by emailing us at rosa@mags.net. Signs are available for a donation of $15.00, and we can arrange delivery during the evening hours. Please help us maintain and increase public awareness by ordering and displaying our yard sign today!

Thank you for your continuing support for our efforts.