Though they often build worthwhile, tastefully designed projects in an environmentally sensitive fashion, developers nonetheless make tempting targets of criticism: They can ruin forever pristine land with unwanted and unnecessary buildings, motivated only by a desire to rake in large profits.

For years, Middletown developer Glenn Russo has been trying to desecrate one of the region's most exquisitely unspoiled waterfront tracts, the Oswegatchie Hills in East Lyme overlooking the Niantic River, with a housing project totally unsuitable for the site.

The town has consistently rejected Mr. Russo's applications for zone changes and successfully challenged his many court appeals.

The town's most recent legal victory came in March, when a federal appeals judge dismissed Mr. Russo's spurious lawsuit alleging East Lyme has tried to keep out minorities by denying him permission to build affordable housing on 240 acres in the Oswegatchie Hills' northern section. His latest of four applications proposes building 1,720 condominiums, a third of them affordable by state standards.

We find it particularly contemptible that Mr. Russo is using the affordable housing accusation to play the race card, considering his initial plan was to build luxury housing. In fact, East Lyme has approved other projects in a good-faith effort to expand affordable housing.

Now comes word that Mr. Russo's attorneys plan to press on with new litigation, even though the last judge issued a definitive decision. It appears Mr. Russo's sole intent is to drive up the price of the land.

Mr. Russo paid just over $2 million for the property and has offered it to the town for $19.5 million. The town has discussed a price that is considerably less but still several times greater than his purchase price, First Selectman Paul Formica said.

The 240 acres would expand the 400-acre Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve, created by a public and private consortium.

Mr. Russo is free to pursue his litigation, but as a developer he must be aware that the real estate bubble popped a few years ago. He should recognize that towns such as East Lyme can ill afford to spend unreasonably large sums of money on open space at a time when they are faced with declining state revenues and rising education and municipal services costs.

It's long past time for Mr. Russo to end his battle and accept a fair offer that will net him a tidy profit, while preserving forever the dramatic ledges and dense woodlands of Oswegatchie Hills.