Blog Posts


Green Haven's End Game

Perhaps the single most important moment in the debate about whether to approve the Green Haven condominium association project on Bethany’s Halter Farm property took place more than a year ago. That’s when Patsy Weiner, then a member of the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission,...

Green Haven's Legacy Foreseen

April 16, 2024 – Connecticut lost a town last night, but it did not lose either territory or population. Two suburban entities simply merged into a new, larger, town: New Hamden.
“The move was inevitable, really,” said New Hamden’s first mayor,...

Green Haven's Utopian Tomfoolery

As read to the Planning and Zoning Commission Wednesday night:
My name is Norm Pattis. I live in Bethany, and I also own Whitlock Farm Booksellers, located at 20 Sperry Road. I have lived in Bethany with my wife for the past ten years. I am a newcomer, still falling in love with what...

Green Haven Gets Desperate

I missed the town meeting in Bethany tonight, where residents once again debated whether to permit condominium development. But a friend was there, and she read a letter from me to the town's Planning and Zoning Commission. I also got text message reports from those in attendance.
It turns...

Green Haven's Half-Truths

The good-neighbor folks of Green Haven are back, this time with new lawyers, a scaled-down version of paradise, and even a Johnny Appleseed impersonator. At a recent public meeting before the Bethany Planning and Zoning Commission, their consultants and lawyer enthused about how good co-housing...

Updated: Green Haven Will Be Back, Count On It

If you are confused by the recent actions of Bethany’s Planning and Zoning Commission, here’s an attempt to decode them. The commission’s vote last week to deny the Green Haven application for a change in zoning regulations to permit what amounts to condominium development in...

Now Is The Time To Kill Green Haven
(Update)

Update: The Bethany Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to reject Green Haven's proposed zone change last night, with Patricia Winer abstaining. Ms. Winer observed she was unhappy with public comments directed toward her. My, my, Ms. Winer. The kitchen wasn't that hot, was it?
We...

A Trojan Horse Called Green Haven

Forgive me if I do not greet with open arms the Green Haven Cohousing project’s attempt to change zoning regulations for the Town of Bethany. The project proposal is, in fact, little more than a Trojan Horse that would, if approved, destroy what remains of Bethany’s rural character. It...

© Norm Pattis is represented by Elite Lawyer Management, managing agents for Exceptional American Lawyers
Media & Speaker booking [hidden email]