Army base on Boardman Lane?

My favorite cemetery in Middletown is on the south side of Boardman Lane, about a quarter mile west of Middle Street. It is a small, well-kept cemetery, with burial dates ranging from about 1770 to about 1815. Here lie men, women, and children from the great families of Westfield, members of the Wilcox, Bacon, Higby, and Boardman families. The names, as well as the simplicity, uniformity, and antiquity of the tombstones conjure up another time, when essentially all of the land in Westfield (and most of the land in Middletown) was farmland. The people below these stones would not recognize our Middletown: in the past 75 years or so, we have replaced our farmland with housing, commerce, factories, and parks. This inexorable transformation continues to take place today, as progress, population, and the economics of farming make agriculture less attractive to Middletown residents.

It is a Utopian dream to completely stop all the development of what farmland that remains, one that is incompatible with property rights and the desire of so many people to own a home in Middletown. However, our Planning and Zoning department, reflecting the expressed wishes of the citizens of this town, have been evaluating remaining farmland for preservation. Some farmland has already been preserved in perpetuity, through the open space bond initiative that voters approved last year. Other parcels of farmland are being considered, based on the condition of the land, their proximity to other farms, and the alternative uses to which they might be put. This makes sense: if we are to lose farmland, let us at least get something which makes Middletown a better city in some way.

Thus, it was quite a shock to learn (Hartford Courant article) that the city would allow an Army Reserve training base to cover an 88 acre farm on Boardman Lane with the equivalent of two Walmart stores and their parking. Others have pointed out that the economic effects of an Army base in this location are likely to be completely negative. From this location, weekend warriors will not journey to a Middletown business, they will travel to the much closer commerce of Meriden and Cromwell. The residential neighborhoods surrounding the base will be burdened with an enormous increase in traffic. Boardman Lane, a simple country lane, may need to be widened, as the only buildable part of the parcel is at the very end of the Lane. Meanwhile, 88 acres of land will be taken off of the city's tax rolls, FOREVER. Especially in a time of war, we should all be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the country. However, the ONLY rationale that has been given for the placement of an Army base in Middletown has been that somebody (unknown) inserted a line in some legislation in Congress.

Middletown should consider not only these enormous direct costs of an Army Base there, but also the alternative uses to which the land could be put. About half of these 88 acres are wetlands (Middletown's zoning maps are here), which cannot be developed (but can continue as grazing pasture). These 88 acres are zoned IT (Interstate Trade), which has been an enlightened zoning designation that has kept this area from being overrun with traffic, while allowing the development of businesses whose tax payments contribute to our city. Businesses like Aerospace Technology, Yellow Freight, Electronic Wholeseller, etc, have done very well for themselves and well for Middletown. The removal of these 88 acres eliminates a major tract of land in the IT zone from future development by companies like these.

These 88 acres are a classic New England farmscape that the Boardman family of 1776 would recognize, it forms part of a productive and beautiful area of farming that is only one block away from the Schliemann farm that the city recently protected using the open space bond money. If Middletown cannot find a way to maintain the Boardman Lane property as farmland, we should at least vigorously oppose its destruction for the sake of a use which not only provides no benefit but actually generates an enormous cost to the city.