Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed the controversial "Haddam land swap" bill into law Friday, clearing the way for private developers to acquire 17 acres of open-space land with a scenic view of the Connecticut River that the state bought for $1.3 million in 2003.
The developers, who own the adjacent Riverhouse banquet facility on the hilltop overlooking river in Haddam's Tylerville section, would trade 87 wooded acres they own next to Cockaponset State Forest, away from the river in the town's Higganum section. They purchased the 87 acres in 2009 for $428,000.
The bill calls for independent appraisals of the two properties to assure that they are of equivalent value. It also says both sides should make "all reasonable efforts" to conclude the swap by Dec. 31, and requires that the deal be approved by the State Properties Review Board before the properties can be traded.
Environmental groups have opposed the swap, and asked Malloy to veto the bill - saying it sets a bad precedent for the state to give developers land that it acquired under a program for the specific purpose of holding it as open space for the public. But local officials in Haddam, chamber of commerce representatives, and, most significantly, an influential legislative committee chairwoman, Sen. Eileen Daily, D-Westbrook, supported the swap as an economic boon to the area.
Malloy said that he had visited both sites on Thursday, and "I came to the conclusion that it is potentially a fair transaction, subject to ... the process" - including valuations of both properties and local zoning approvals.