Council approves sale of Adelaide Street parcels to Habitat for Humanity after heated public hearing over Riverside Community Garden

The New London City Council approved the direct sale of three city-owned parcels on Adelaide Street to Habitat for Humanity for $1 on Monday, concluding a public hearing in which residents urged the council to deny or postpone the sale and to guarantee funding and a timeline for relocating the Riverside Community Garden.

At a public hearing that began March 17, residents and gardeners described 12 years of work at the Riverside Community Garden and pressed the council for written assurances on relocation funding, a lease or long-term site, and a clear timetable. "The gardens have been there for 12 years," said a longtime gardener, noting the volunteer hours and food the site produces for neighbors. Erin Walker, who lives at 97 Adelaide Street, told the council the garden saved her about 16 percent on groceries last year and said the current Adelaide site has uncontaminated soil and room for expansion. "Moving the community garden would prevent our community from total loss of the valuable resource," Walker said.

Speakers described specific relocation expenses they have estimated: water service tie-in to the street (cited by speakers at about $4,400), raised beds and lumber (about $3,000), deeper soil needs, fencing removal/reinstallation, moving a shed and mature trees, and other site work. One resident said the total moving cost could be "probably upwards of $20,000." Several speakers urged the council to postpone the sale or place it on the November ballot rather than transfer the property for $1.

Mayor Michael Paso and Director of Development and Planning Felix Reyes stressed the administration’s position that selling the city parcels to a mission-driven developer is a tool to leverage outside funding. Reyes told the council that the city’s intent was to supply land that a nonprofit could use as part of a capital stack to secure additional grants and financing and that the city values residential development that will return property to the tax rolls. "The value to us is the developed property," Reyes said. "When a property is sold for a dollar, put back on the tax roll as tax generating and producing dwelling units, that's when it's valuable to us."

Council debate focused on two themes: whether a direct sale without an RFP disadvantaged other nonprofit developers and whether the garden’s volunteers would receive concrete relocation support. Council members said Habitat had committed time and predevelopment investment and that Habitat and the administration had met with garden representatives. Councilor John Saddy, who said he had previously supported a private sale of the parcel to build housing, asked that proceeds or private funds be used to help pay the gardeners’ relocation costs. Several councilors asked for written, enforceable commitments from Habitat or from the city guaranteeing relocation support.

After debate the council adopted the public-interest findings required by the purchasing ordinance and then approved the sale and authorized the mayor to sign documents transferring title. The sale ordinance passed on the council floor; the motion carried. The resolution directs the mayor to execute necessary documents to effectuate the transfers of title to Habitat for Humanity.

Council President Dominguez and several councilors said they expect the city and Habitat to work with garden volunteers on a relocation plan and to limit taxpayer exposure by seeking private funding and volunteer labor for the move. Gardeners said they will seek written commitments and said they are prepared to petition for repeal or a referendum on the sale if adequate assurances are not secured.

The council’s action followed public testimony from more than a dozen speakers and more than an hour of citizen comment specifically on the Adelaide parcels. The city clerk closed the hearing before council action and the council voted later in the meeting to approve the sale.

What happens next: Habitat for Humanity will proceed with required predevelopment work and pursue funding to build three two-family dwellings on the parcels. Council members and the administration said they expect follow-up meetings with gardeners and Habitat to define relocation timing, costs and responsibilities.

Speakers during the public hearing included gardeners and residents: Janna (garden volunteer), Erin Walker (97 Adelaide Street), Joe Parzic (13 Terrace Avenue), Bob Seller (community gardener/compost advocate), Sue Weintraub (672 Williams Street), an Evergreen Avenue speaker, and Councilor John Saddy (27 Woodlawn Road), among others. Administration participants included Mayor Michael Paso and Director Felix Reyes.

Sources and authorities cited at the hearing included General Statutes cited for the public hearing notice (General Statute section 7-1(63)(e)) and references to the city’s Plan of Conservation and Development and CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) and other typical housing funding programs.

Ending: Council members said they will insist on working-level follow-up with gardeners, Habitat, public works and parks staff to develop a relocation plan and to identify private or philanthropic funding to cover moving costs. Garden volunteers said they will continue to press for written assurances and, if needed, pursue referendum or legal options to preserve community garden access.