Who We Are

Preserve Landing Hill (PLH) is a group of concerned citizens in East Haddam, Connecticut dedicated to preserving the Landing Hill area of town, a scenic and historic area between the villages of East Haddam and Moodus. As with many areas all over the world, Landing Hill is feeling the pressure of over-development. Currently a 27-acre parcel is slated for development in this bucolic residential and farming area. We have formed to try to protect Landing Hill and in the process, preserve and protect critical aspects of the Town of East Haddam's rural character.

Our goal is saving the area from the fragmentation that would result from building more large homes here. Such homes represent another example of suburbanization that is destroying open space and habitat across the country, while putting all of us at the risk of being stranded in spread out, non-functional communities. Some people believe, when the oil runs out, we will all climb out of our SUVs and start walking down the abandoned interstate highways in search of food.

While that image may be a bit extreme, experts agree peak oil occurred in July 2006. Now, as the oil runs out, demand has outstripped supply and the very basis of suburban lifestyle is depleting away. Developers continue to propose new tracts of housing because that is what they know how to do. However, the current fiscal crisis at both a community and national level clearly shows that this continued expansion is not supportable.

Our concern on a local level is to save this beautiful, threatened area. Our economic way of life is changing. It is likely that there will be no buyers for residential homes if they are built. It is possible that starting new projects at this time will be financial nightmares for developers. We would like to offer information and education about sound preservation strategies that can work for owner/developers.

It is possible that current projects will get approvals then, halfway through construction run out of money, leaving half-built roads and skeletons of unusable homes in their wake.

It is a fact that fair, alternate proposals to development are available by partnering with the town, local land trust, neighborhood groups and individuals. These alternatives would serve the needs of land owners as well as the broader and longer term needs of the community.

Unfortunately, many owners do not want to consider preserving property. It seems, and is not surprising to realize, that they know how to develop land and leaving it 'unused' simply does not compute to their way of thinking.

As advocates for the town, we know better. We know that open space serves the town financially by reducing the burden of services. It also serves our psyches and provides nurturing, emotional support through its beauty and freshness.

For example, the proposed Morgan Estates development, located in the Landing Hill area, is just one example of many that are approved on a regular basis in East Haddam and town's just like it all across the state and country. There is a deep inertia at work that challenges those of us that would suggest there are other alternatives and that our prosperity and happiness are not solely dependent on this form of economic expansion. This particular development will destroy a small, important parcel currently serving as a connector between a primary wildlife corridor in East Haddam and the Salmon River/Connecticut River basins.

In our efforts to save this area, it has become abundantly clear that this issue is not just about this proposal. Even though our town has reasonably good regulations to guide development, their administration relies almost exclusively on information provided by the developers. Unfortunately, the process is characterized by a degree of conflict of interest that, while inevitable, can and should be managed proactively. Intervenors in the Morgan Estates application process were not even allowed to enter the property. Instead, the commission considered extensive information provided by the Applicants, and reviews of this information by town-hired consultants.

We are deeply concerned with the impact of the conflict of interest on the community. The damage from this problem is readily apparent as we watch important open space get gobbled up by paved roads, cul de sacs and big box, energy-intensive, unsustainable houses.

The suggested preservation of the Landing Hill area offers extensive wetland and moist upland terrain supporting diverse plant and wildlife species. Preservation is suggested as a positive alternative: a contiguous open space, managed as a wildlife habitat.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please consider writing your positive, supportive comments on this blog. We also need money to keep up this effort. Donations can be offered through this site by clicking on the DONATE BUTTON. Please consider how this issue affects your town and the quality of your life going into the future.