Utopia Studios Development is a Recipe for Sprawl and Congestion for CT

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Toni Gold warns that unless the state begins to employ the principles of smart growth, a massive new development will turn bucolic eastern CT into a congested mess.

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  • Garrett Berluti

    yes! to utopia
    I think building utopia studios is a great idea. If this project is turned down it could be a huge mistake for Ct. This is a great oportunity for jobs and business in the area. As far as the traffic and congestion people are concerned about, I think if this is well planned it could be avoided. Give this project a chance. I am a film student currently working in L.A. california and would like to make my way back to my home state of CT for work.

  • D. Larocque

    live studios vs. abandoned buildings? hmmm…
    The state of Connecticut has NEVER been able to adequately deal with traffic in the first place. They still have no interstate from Norwich or New London to Hartford, no answers to I-95′s backups, and didn’t have any road plans for the two casinos in the east. It is the STATE’S neglect that has caused a ‘congested mess’ to be here already.

    Secondly, the land that Utopia wants is littered with asylum buildings that have been rotting away for 10 years. When you drive by it, it is unattractive, slum-like, and a sad testament to government mismanagement. Saying YES to Utopia is the smart thing of course- much better than ugly, decrepit buildings!!

  • jeff

    utopia
    yes yes…bring hollywood to ct!!!! I wanna b in the next king kong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Jeremy Luena

    Dont pass by the offer of a Life Time!!!
    I agree with Garrett, it is a excellent way for bringing new jobs to connecticut. It will greatly help Connecticuts economy, and help us filmakers out as well. There are no studios on the east coast that offer a New England look that sometimes filmakers require in a movie. This will create a shift in the industry, which will hopefully benifit producers with tax breakes and such. Dont pass an offer of a Life Time. I was born and raised in connecticut and it would be nice not to commute to L.A. every time i want to work in this industry. Nutmeggers al the way!!!

  • Karen

    Employees
    Now that the referendum has been passed, and assuming all goes well and Utopia is built, where do they think they are going to get 22,000 people to work at their facility? Not to mention, Foxwoods is expanding and will need another 2,300 employees at their casino. Possibly there may not be anyone left to work at the grocery stores or the banks if the wages are better at these two facilities.

    Did anyone consider this?

  • Brandon L. Wilcox

    go utopia
    ct is boring, we need something like this to make the state better. we could always use more jobs, i know my nephew is having trouble getting a job, if this is built maybe he can get a job there.

    brandon
    http://www.designconnection.com/

  • Bob

    Emergency Physician
    This project may bring much needed wind to the economic sail of the region. It will provide jobs and diversity to our region.

  • Bill

    CT resident
    Hollywood jobs and prestige are well and good, but I think this development (particularly the hokey amusement park) has the potential of killing the golden goose. The main attractiveness of this area is that, if you look at satellite images of the northeast at night, eastern CT is the lone area darkened and unlit. It’s unspoilt landscape is incredibly precious–true you can’t eat scenery, but do you trust anyone involved with this to manage the resulting growth and traffic? My fear is that the eastern woods of CT will just end up looking like the endless stripcenters that introduce you to Disney in Orlando, the town centers become like Niagara Falls, USA side, and getting in-between will be an aggravation beyond all current estimation. Where’s the public transportation of workers and tourists to and fro component? When the forests are clear cut for inevitable hidden subdivisions and big box commercial retail areas, what will the panaromic vistas of the river and hills look like? Isn’t there a middle way, and if so, whose going to see that it occurs? Is movie studio production really the big employment wave of the future in the age of digital special effects and international media competition?

  • http://www.youtube.com/jk44manny Johnathan Ketelhut

    DUH!!!
    Of course we should be putting this studio 15 minutes away from where I live. I mean come on, I am in love with making films. I have a whole website of like 85 of my videos, (www.youtube.com/jk44manny) and i am a junior in High school. I know it will take awhile to build, but right when I get out of college, it would be a perfect place for me to work, AND MANY OTHERS>