The sale of five Schlumberger acres for $1.25 million to Steve Zemo is a deal with tangible benefits to the town — including Mr. Zemo’s plans for a hotel with banquet facilities.
Questions should be raised, and opinions listened to. But voters would do well to support the selectmen’s proposed sale at a town meeting Monday night, Dec. 16, at 7:30 in town hall.
A question worth discussing before the vote is whether the site might be needed for expansion of the town sewer plant, which is already under study as required by the state. Most of the talk about needing land for future town facilities has focused on police and fire stations — those could be located elsewhere on the site. But the sewer plant is right next door.
Skeptics argue the selectmen are rushing to sell the property without a full vision for the whole 45-acre tract. But as a speaker at last week’s public hearing pointed out, the five acres the selectmen want to sell are separate — across the street — from the main Schlumberger parcel. They can be sold without jeopardizing the integrity of the 40-acre tract.
The sale has obvious benefits. There’s the money — $1.25 million isn’t bad for five acres bordering a town garage and a sewer plant. That’d get back some of the $7 million taxpayers approved for the Schlumberger purchase.
The property would be back on the tax rolls. Mr. Zemo estimates his development of the five acres would pay more taxes than Schlumberger was paying on the entire 45 acres when it left town.
And there are side benefits. The planned 48-suite hotel with banquet facilities would benefit other Ridgefield businesses by attracting visitors and keeping them in town after the concert or the museum visit or the wedding is over. It could help realize the Chamber of Commerce’s “Destination Ridgefield” vision.