Woodbridge at a turning point (2009–2011): Revisiting the early days of Town ownership of the Country Club property

While essays published here at TownHistory.org typically focus on uncovering the distant past, this post departs the path to take a step into more recent history to capture an episode that continues to significantly shape the present — and future — of the town. In May of 2009, Woodbridge residents came together for a Town Meeting in the classic New England tradition to discuss the potential purchase of the Woodbridge Country Club. This most traditional start was to set off years of spirited debate, negotiation, and continued community engagement on questions related to this parcel.

In previous posts, we’ve looked at the history of the property, including when it was known as Cloverhill Farm, as well as its time as a Town-run recreational facility, and the parcel’s lasting beauty today. Today’s post recounts the events surrounding the pivotal decision to make the purchase in 2009, from the initial discussions and town meetings to the municipal election campaign that year and, ultimately, the only referendum — held two years later — that has done much to determine todays status quo. Drawing on meeting records, explanatory texts, and personal recollections, we revisit the deliberations, negotiations, purchase, and later the proposal to sell a portion of the parcel that culminated in a town-wide vote and decisive community verdict in 2011. 

By looking through photo galleries depicting some of the pivotal moments in this chronology, we catch a glimpse of the community of Woodbridge at this point in the town’s history, as it navigated the issues surrounding the purchase and potential partial sale of some of these acres. What we see reflected may reveal something about the challenges of balancing development, preservation, and fiscal responsibility in a small community.

So let's begin the tale in the early months of 2009, when the topic of a possible sale of the Woodbridge Country Club, as it was known at the time, approximately 150 acres of property on Woodfield Road first appeared on the agenda of meetings of the Board of Selectmen. After initial discussion, the Selectmen voted to set a date for a Special Board of Selectmen Meeting to be held in the Center Gym on March 25, 2009 to present information and hear from the public.

Once the public comment agenda item concluded and a brief recess was called, the Selectmen reconvened to consider action. The result was a unanimous vote to authorize the First Selectman to proceed with negotiations on a deal to purchase the property in order to bring the decision to townspeople.

As negotiations progressed, a Special BOS meeting took place on April 7, 2009 and was shown live on the WGATV channel 79 on Cablevision (this predates the WGATV YouTube channel). It included discussion of the management of the golf course, among other topics.

Meanwhile, throughout the municipal election campaign that year, the potential acquisition of the property was also a subject of discussion, including during the candidate's debate co-sponsored by the Beecher PTO and the Amity League of Women Voters and held at Beecher Road School on April 23, 2009.

The Woodbridge town election — to determine who would serve as First Selectman, as members of the Board of Selectmen, and as members of several other elected boards — was held on Monday, May 4th, with voting taking place from 6 AM to 8 PM. Residents again returned to the Center Gym to hear the results announced shortly after the polls closed.

As announced that night, the unofficial election results in Woodbridge were as follows (winners in bold, with asterisks, alongside total votes):

First Selectman
Edward Maum Sheehy (D) 1,558*
Ken Colabella (R) 890

Board of Selectmen
Beth Heller (D) 1,470*
James K. Sabshin (D) 1,365*
Sandra T. Stein (D) 1,345*
Thomas Kenefick (R) 990*
Laura Ferrante Fernandes (R) 895*
William J. Fox (R) 914

Woodbridge Board of Education
Sheila McCreven (D) 1,321*
Clotilde Dudley Smith (D) 1,182*
Yanyun Wu (D) 1,174*
Steven Fleischman (R) 1,094*
David Barkin (R) 1,079*
Matthew Gilbride 1,056

Board of Assessment Appeals
Lisa Stanger (D) 1,221*
Gregory Coyne (R) 1,092

Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA)
Mark Levine (D) 1,257*
Henry Nusbaum (D) 1,209*
David Bernard (D) 1,141*
Philip "Buddy" DeGennaro (R) 1,120*
Sandra Elias (R) 1,116*
Stephen Francis (R) 1,005

ZBA Alternate
Benson Snaider (D) 1,193*
Ernest "Buddy" Britton (R) 1,076

Amity Regional Board of Education
Rita Gedansky (D) 1,366*
Patricia Cardozo (D) 1,306*
Chris A. DeLeone (R) 1,066
Daniel Burns (R) 914

Exactly two weeks later, on May 18, 2009, the Annual Town Meeting was held in the auditorium of Amity High School to accommodate the large crowd that was expected. The first item on the agenda was to consider action regarding the purchase of the property. Importantly, the vote was scheduled to take place at the meeting itself, as long as a quorum was present, in accordance with provisions of the Town Charter.

Only those voters present at the time the question was called by the moderator of the Town Meeting would decide the outcome of this purchase proposal. No one knew for sure how many of the assembled would vote yes, by standing and raising a green slip of paper when the phrase “All those in favor” was called out.

The recording of this meeting, while not originally available on YouTube (as meetings were only on cable TV and not on the internet at that time) was later deemed to be of significant historical interest and was uploaded in 2018 from its original videotape format — you can watch it on demand, below (skip ahead to see the dramatic vote take place at about the 1 hour and 3 minute mark – the total was announced as: 435 in favor; and 34 opposed).

The next significant event in the property's history as a town-owned parcel came about 18 months later, when a proposal to sell a portion of the property to build age-restricted housing began to take shape. Ultimately it would take the form of a question to be put before voters, this time at a referendum. Explanatory text describing the proposal including the following details:

The Town of Woodbridge has received a LETTER OF INTENT from Toll Bros. for the purchase of approximately 17 +/- acres of land from the Town within the property known as the Country Club of Woodbridge. The polls will be open on December 13, 2011, 6 AM to 8PM in The Center Gym for voters to vote YES or NO on the sale.

A summary of the terms and purpose of the sale is as follows:

1. PURCHASE PRICE - The purchaser has offered $2,200,500.00 for the property (less a credit of no more than $400,000.00 for the cost of relocating the cell tower located on the property to other Town owned property);

2. AGE RESTRICTED HOUSING - The purchaser will build fifty four (54) age restricted Town Houses on the property adjacent to the golf course. Age restricted housing requires at least one occupant of the residence be over fifty-five (55) years of age and no one under eighteen (18) years of age can be a permanent resident;

3. IMPACT ON PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF AGE RESTRICTED HOUSING - Age restricted housing has minimal impact on municipal services and adds no students to public schools, since no one under the age of eighteen (18) can permanently reside in the home;

4. TOWN USE OF PURCHASE PRICE - The full net purchase price will be used to reduce the outstanding $7,000,000.00 debt incurred to purchase the Country Club of Woodbridge;

5. PROPERTY TAXES GENERATED FROM TOWN HOUSES - The Town's Director of Finance and Operations projects that upon completion of the Town Houses, the new property taxes generated (approximately $350,000 per year) will offset all principal and interest costs on the remaining debt from the purchase of the Country Club of Woodbridge over twenty years;

6. CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE COUNTRY CLUB OF WOODBRIDGE - The Town will retain ownership of the remaining approximate 130 acres +/- of land known as the Country Club of Woodbridge as open space, and will continue to operate the golf course, tennis and swimming pool as a recreational facility;

The referendum was called by the Woodbridge Board of Selectmen pursuant to the Town Charter which requires voter /taxpayer approval for the sale of Town-owned real estate.
This explanatory text was prepared by the municipal clerk and approved by the municipal Attorney in accordance with Section 9-369b of the Connecticut General Statutes,

The Woodbridge Board of Selectmen

Gregory Coyne Laurence Grotheer Beth Heller
Susan Jacobs Thomas Kenefick Edward M. Sheehy

At a Special Meeting of the Board of Selectmen held on November 1, 2011 in the Center Building Cafeteria, this proposal to sell a 17-acres portion of the property was discussed, and at the November 9th regular meeting, the Selectmen voted to proceed to send the proposed sale to referendum. The Woodbridge Conservation Commission at its regular November 2011 meeting considered making a recommendation either in favor or against the proposal but a motion to weigh-in failed with 3 votes in favor, 3 against, and 1 abstention. Two additional information sessions were held to discuss the proposed sale, and again citizens filled the Center Gym, on November 15th and 30th, to discuss the pros and cons of the proposal in depth.

The approved ‘Explanatory Text’ document was mailed to all households in Woodbridge (see full text, above), and the town-wide referendum took place on Tuesday, December 13th 2011.

Voting took place as usual, from 6 AM to 8 PM, and shortly after the polls closed the results were announced: Yes = 588 votes, No = 1,190 votes. Accordingly, the referendum failed by a margin of 602 votes, approximately 2 to 1. And with that, another chapter in the parcel's history was closed.

Dear readers: This departure from the usual historical narratives has been an attempt to document for posterity how our town wrestled with critical questions of development, preservation, and fiscal responsibility. By recounting these events and presenting photographs, official documents, and meeting records, I’m aiming to preserve this chapter of recent local history for future generations. Perhaps this effort to chronicle a significant event in Woodbridge will resonate with readers who would like to see more efforts to capture the stories of our town as they unfold — what do you think? Would you like to read more of this type of ‘living history’? Please be in touch to share your thoughts.