Dear Board of Selectmen,

As Ridgefield residents, we request that the Board of Selectman (BOS) DENY opening the closed portion of Turner Road, as requested by Black Oaks, LLC.

The BOS must deny opening this closed portion of Turner Road because of the following reasons:

1. Increased liability for the town and its residents with no compensating benefit for the added risk to public safety. A partial example of the liability increase is the fact that there are currently 75 children under the age of 18 residing in Turner Hill. Why create additional liability when there is no significant benefit to the town, to Turner Hill residents, or to these children?

2. Negative impact to state-protected animal species living in that area of Turner Road. Sustainability is a significant part of the Plan of Development and Conservation (POCD) and preserving endemic species is crucial to such sustainability. It is the reason residents of Ridgefield voted overwhelmingly to create a separate Inland Wetlands Board.

3. Further negative impact on existing Turner Hill property values. Documentation already shows an overall decline of housing prices in Ridgefield in 2019. Ridgefield BOS should do everything reasonable to maintain or increase property values since they represent the highest proportion of our tax base.

4. Degradation of one of the safe, bucolic residential neighborhoods personifying the iconic character and charm of Ridgefield which attract people to move to and remain in Ridgefield. Families want to live in Ridgefield because they expect and believe neighborhoods will remain the heart and soul of our town, just as those of us who purchased homes in Turner Hill believed.

5. Possibility of setting unnecessary precedent. There are numerous roads in Ridgefield closed and abandoned for specific reasons. If the BOS does not deny maintaining the CLOSED STATUS of Turner Road, you create a “Pandora’s box“ of additional situations where roads may be opened with no benefit to Ridgefield and, in fact, when increased liability can be expected.

If the BOS is unable to deny opening this abandoned portion of Turner Road, we request the BOS put this forth before Ridgefield voters in a Town Vote. This TOWN VOTE is supported by the attached valid PETITION from residents across Ridgefield.

Respectfully signed and submitted,