Source: Norwich Bulletin (Norwich, Conn.)
Preston, Conn. - The state attorney general won an injunction Friday against the development of a Preston farm into a golf course, saying it was illegal.
The state and the executors of the Rose Y. Koniecko Trust, which owns the 165-acre Koniecko Farm on Route 164, have fought over the use of the farm since the property's trustees unveiled a plan to put an 18-hole golf course and 132-seat restaurant on the site.
The injunction forbids further construction on the golf course until Jan. 10 when the matter is heard in a Hartford court.
The state Department of Agriculture is suing the executors, saying former owner Joseph Koniecko sold the development rights to the state in 1986 as part of the farmland preservation program.
"The survival of our farmland preservation program is at stake, not just a single piece of land or farm," state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in a statement. "Anyone who equates golfing with farming does a disservice to both, or seriously need education."
The owners argue court decisions have only forbidden construction of private homes on the property, and a golf course falls under the definition of open space under the farmaland preservation statute.
"We've tried administratively to correct the problem," said Shawn Powers, a benefactor and heir of the estate. "When it goes to court, there's a lot of issues about how the program is administered that will come to the surface, and I think there will be closure as to what the state holds title to."
William Moller, the lawyer representing the trustees, said the state's case has no merit.
"All the state has is a negative easement that we are not to build single-family dwellings," he said.
