Open Space in Shelton

Note Oct. 2007: The City of Shelton is constructing an Open Space webpage, which will replace this section of the Shelton Trails website. 

Detailed 2004 Open Space maps, showing all properties lines
Farmland Preservation
Open Space Rules (Ordinance #769)
"In the Field" - Open Space blog

Open Space FAQ (below):
What is open space?
Private open space in Shelton
Open space acquisition

What is Open Space? In the broadest sense, open space is land without housing or commercial development. It may be private or public, and might consist of a golf course, school, farm or wooded park. Open space lends an feeling of spaciousness to a town, which many residents look for when choosing a place to live.

When people talk about open space they are often referring only to public open space which is wooded or otherwise in its natural state. "Public Open Space" refers to government-owned property which is accessible by the general public. Public open space can provide recreational opportunities such as hiking, biking, fishing, swimming and other passive outdoor recreational activities.

Where is Our Open Space Located?

Click here to view detailed open space maps from 2004.  According to a 2004 inventory, there are something like 209 regular Public Open Space Parcels totalling 1624 acres, although through good planning many of these properties are next to each other and are therefore grouped into 125 numbered properties. 

There are also 366 acres owned by the Land Trust, 124 acres for Shelton Parks and Recreation (ballfields, etc.), and 234 acres preserved for farm and forest development.  "Municipal Parcels" are another category which include mostly developed land for schools and other city buildings, but some of that is used as open space (the Recreation Path goes through a wooded section of school property, for example).

Private Open Space in Shelton

Water Company Properties: Aquarion (formerly Bridgeport Hydraulic Company) owns a significant amount of land in Shelton which is closed to the public.

Shelton Land Trust Properties: The Land Trust is a private organization which may grant access to its properties. The Land Trust's primary goal is preservation, not recreation or hiking. However, the Land Trust typically accommodates trails such as the Paugussett, and certain properties may be open to the public. The Trust preserves over 320 acres of land in Shelton. Their website has a full listing of properties.

Nicholdale: The largest Trust property is the 65 acre "Nicholdale" property on Route 110 in White Hills. Open to the public, this old farm has easy trails through a restored meadow and a not-so-old forest (the many cedars are a tip off that this was recently a farm).

Iroquois Pipeline and CL&P powerlines Corridors: Utility companies usually do not own the land on which their pipelines or power lines are located, but there is an easement which protects the lines from development. Moreover, land adjacent to the corridor is undesirable for development and is often donated to the town as open space. There is actually some pretty good hiking and mountain biking along portions of the Iroquois Pipeline. Many of the properties on which the corridor is located are owned by absentee landowners and developers who have not posted their property, so there is access. The areas cleared for the Iroquois Pipeline are expected to revert back to forest, except for a narrow access road, which will be maintained by Iroquois. If the easement is fenced off, posted or located near dwellings it is obviously not appropriate for hiking.

Farmland:  In Shelton, some of the farmland has been preserved for future generations through the purchase of development rights, although most of it can be sold and developed into housing at any time.

Open Space Acquisition

In a 1994 survey of people living in or purchasing homes in planned communities (i.e. condominiums or cluster housing), 78% of the respondents said "lots of natural open space" was a Must Have, and 75% said walking and biking paths were a Must Have. The poll results were published in "National Association of Home Builders."

In the last few years Shelton has acquired many acres of open space, mostly by purchasing surplus water company property, but also by other means.  The following are methods which can be used to acquire open space.

Acquisition Under Land Use Regulations: When property is subdivided, City regulation requires the developer to donate a minimum of ten percent of the property to the City, Land Trust, or a Homeowner's Association to be used as open space. The intent of the regulation is to compensate the City and its residents for the impact the subdivision will have (increased traffic, sewage disposal, schools, etc.). Under the regulations, the Planning and Zoning Commission can, within reason, dictate which portion of the property will be donated to the City. In practice, the developer usually chooses the areas which are least developable, such as swamps and steep slopes, for open space, and P&Z often accepts this. Note that many other towns in Connecticut are much more aggressive in pursuing good open space for their communities compared to Shelton. 

Open Space Purchases: The second method of obtaining open space is to purchase the property. An open space trust account was set up in the early 1990's into which 3/4 of one percent of the annual growth of the Taxable Grand List is appropriated each year. This money can be used only for open space purchases or related expenditures and only upon recommendation by the Committee and approval by the Board of Aldermen.

In addition, developers may now pay a fee in lieu of donating open space from their development.  These funds are transferred into the open space fund and are used to purchase open space which is more desirable to the City than what it would have obtained from the developer.

The Open Space Committee prepared an important document called  "Shelton Open Space Plan of 1993," which was ratified by the Board of Aldermen and which outlines the City's strategy regarding open space acquisition in Shelton. Three proposed "greenways" were outlined in the Plan:

• Shelton Lakes Greenway
• Far Mill River/Means Brook Greenway
• Housatonic Valley Greenway
• Means Brook Greenway

Purchases within these greenways are given priority under the 1993 Open Space Plan, as explained by the report:

"It should be noted that most of the dedicated open space is scattered throughout the community without any meaningful physical relationship to each other.  Therefore, the open space conservation plan concept is to establish an interconnected open space system (greenways) through Shelton which can serve to physically link important features, maintain the City's cause, and otherwise accomplish the previously established goals...The general trend of increased leisure time suggests a continued growing demand for, and use of, recteational open space."

Happily I can report great progress with the Committee's goals and strategy.  As of 2004, there is much greater linkage between various open space properties, the Shelton Lakes area was developed into several miles of hiking and biking trails, and the shear number of acres acquired has been significant.   In 1993 the City had 474 acres of Public Open Space.  By 2004 that number had grown to 1624 acres.