Connecticut Attorney General's Office
Press Release
Attorney General Announces CT Supreme Court Spares Old Saybrook Preserve, Rejects Developer’s Appeal
September 27, 2010
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today announced an environmental victory after the Connecticut Supreme Court refused to hear a case to allow a proposed development that would have destroyed hundreds of acres of environmentally significant coastal forest known as “The Preserve.”
The court denied a petition for certification -- or to review -- a developer’s appeal to build homes and a golf course on The Preserve. The Preserve covers 934 acres spanning Old Saybrook, Essex and Westbrook, including 114 acres of wetlands situated in the heart of Long Island Sound’s last coastal forest.
Old Saybrook’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission rejected a proposal by River Sound Development, LLC to build an 18-hole golf course and 221 residential units on the Preserve, and River Sound appealed. The Connecticut Appellate Court upheld that decision, and the Supreme Court has rejected further appeal.
Blumenthal, alongside Old Saybrook, surrounding towns and Connecticut Fund for the Environment, successfully defended the appeal on behalf of the Department of Environmental Protection.
“This decision preserves The Preserve from a particularly devastating development,” Blumenthal said. “The courts have upheld Old Saybrook’s right to review and reject proposals that harm their town and pose irreparable environmental destruction.
“My office will continue to fight to protect The Preserve against any development that would broadly destroy this precious natural resource. We owe a duty to future generations to protect such rare, sensitive and pristine habitats.”