The town of Stonington has an activist Economic Development Commission. The commission is getting serious about making over the gateway to Mystic — that ungainly sprawl at Exit 90 of Interstate 95 — and it was hoping to simultaneously guide a major affordable housing development in Pawcatuck, where it has been shepherding revitalization for several years.

The proposal by Winn Development of Boston to construct a building with 82 affordable and market-rate apartments at the former Campbell Grain property didn't make it past last Tuesday's referendum. Stonington's reasons for devoting resources to the project persist, nonetheless; the work is not over. Neither the commission nor the critics who defeated the project by a hefty margin of 2,764 to 1,173 should stop there.

The proposal had been years in the making and was part of a series of "community conversations" inviting Pawcatuck residents and others to share their views on the future of the village. It had support from town officials, boards and commissions. For the approximately $30 million project the developer would seek $20 million in grant funding from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and the state housing department, in a program that calls for a partial match by the host town.

In the aftermath of a Town Meeting Aug. 9 that approved a tax break of $697,748 over 10 years for the developer, petitioners sought a referendum. The nearly 4,000 voters who turned out comprised the highest percentage for a Stonington referendum in 30 years, at 27 percent.

Given the need for affordable housing, the priority of revitalizing downtown Pawcatuck  and the objective of getting reasonable, long-term tax revenue from the former Campbell Grain property, the defeat leaves important issues on the table. Opponents, including some from Pawcatuck who would live nearest to the downtown apartments, gave several reasons for wanting to overturn the Town Meeting vote. Having stated their objections — insufficient parking, traffic issues and the building design, as well as the tax break — they should now be ready to say what their vision for Pawcatuck is, not simply what it is not.

Suppose that the proposed apartment building got a less institutional design, more parking could be found and an ingenious traffic solution devised. Suppose it sank in that the town would gain more tax revenue than if it doesn't give Winn a break. Would that satisfy?

The Economic Development Commission, as the lead agency for town growth, seems to have tried earnestly to get that kind of input starting nearly two years back. Chairman Dave Hammond said Wednesday that the commission would continue to try to attract investment to lessen the burden on taxpayers, but the ECD also needs to figure out whether it missed signals of strong dissent until the very end of the approval process.

One difficult conversation the townspeople and their leaders may need to have is whether the depth of the opposition reflected an underlying disapproval for the whole concept of planned affordable housing. There were murmurs, at least; some of those seemed to suggest that Pawcatuck residents were unwilling to accept a project that other Stonington neighborhoods might not welcome. Typically, any community has a mix of luxury, market-rate and affordable housing; if voters were trying to make a statement about such a mix when they rejected the project, that needs to be openly faced.

At this same moment, the EDC is soliciting public input once again — this time for help envisioning how to make the environs of Route 27 and Coogan Boulevard more welcoming to the state's most visited tourism sites and more emblematic of Mystic. Stonington is preparing to revamp some of its zoning regulations; one possible change would be to add residential zoning for apartments and condominiums into the mix of that area.

Whether or not Winn Development pursues its project, the referendum defeat will be a victory for its opponents only if they resolve to turn their objections into a conversation about opportunity — for new residents and businesses to come to Pawcatuck, for taxpayers, and for the town as a whole. 

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.