The Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office recently notified Newtown officials that all buildings on the Fairfield Hills campus must be preserved if a developer wants to qualify for historic credits, offsetting the cost of renovations.  Boston-based WinnCompanies is looking to renovate Kent Hall and Shelton Hall into a mixed commercial/residential development. 

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal says they should still apply for the historic credits with the National Parks Service, noting that the town has a strong case with or without the state historic office.  Newtown has owned the campus for nearly two decades and Rosenthal says the town has made efforts to preserve the buildings while getting them back to productive use. 

The credits could mean as much as $10 million each for renovation projects estimated at $50 to $60 million.  If the town receives the historic credits, it would be unable to demolish any building over the three years the developer was receiving the money, plus five years afterward.  Rosenthal says Cochrane, Norwalk, Stamford, and Plymouth buildings are “unlikely to see use” and the town was looking at a phased demolition over a number of years.