Marinas

Although most of the riverfront within the Gateway Conservation Zone is zoned and developed residentially, there is some limited commercial and industrial acreage that had to be accommodated when the original Gateway minimum standards were developed. Marinas, serving the robust recreational boating industry in the lower river are prevalent as well, especially in Old Saybrook and Essex.

Almost all of the riverfront land seen in this photo is located within the Gateway Conservation Zone. It is this relatively undeveloped and vegetated look that is the riverway scene that the Gateway Commission seeks to protect and preserve. One way the Commission accomplishes this is to acquire - either in fee or by easement - undeveloped land. The undeveloped parcel at the bottom left of the photograph is known as the "Garthwaite" property, one of the earliest conservation acquisitions by the Gateway Commission. It is also one of the few acquired in fee - purchased outright - as opposed to just the acquisition of development rights by conservation easement. To the north of the marina and short of the Chester Ferry is another Gateway-acquired riverfront parcel known as the Bonanomi property (a light green strip of grassland seen amongst the trees just short of the dense green stand of trees) which was protected through a conservation easement and is still owned by the Bonanomi family. The Town of Chester recently debated whether or not to purchase the property for conservation purposes, but decided that, with the existing conservation easement, there was no reason to spend the Town's limited conservation funds.