After Years Of No Interest—

The ‘Hawleyville 100’ Is In Contention For New Development

By John Voket

At 100 acres, a vast commercial parcel straddling the intersection of Routes 25 and 6, running between Mt Pleasant Road and Interstate 84 up to Whippoorwill Hill Road, is back on the radar for at least two developers, according to First Selectman Pat Llodra.

The news that at least one of those developers might be ready to launch on a project that could break ground as early as 2012, came to light during a Legislative Council Finance Committee meeting January 11. Mrs Llodra appeared at the meeting, which had on its agenda the finalization of the latest Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

The Finance Committee is among the stops the plan makes as the CIP winds its way toward annual approval by the council. The Board of Finance has already approved the capital plan, but that was be-fore Mrs Llodra learned that a developer was interested in possibly fast-tracking a commercial venture on one of two available lots that comprise the 100-acre expanse in Hawleyville.

To help make the site more viable for development, the first selectman is proposing moving a capital proposal to extend a local sewer line in the area from year five to as soon as 2012, the second year of the five-year plan.

The first selectman told the Finance Committee that the possibility of bonding to cover the maximum anticipated cost of the sewer line extension in the 2012 fiscal cycle is not possible under the town’s ten percent debt cap and considering projects already ranked for possible approval in the 2012 CIP. But Mrs Llodra said the developer may be motivated to cover part of the cost of the sewer extension as an alternative to engineering a commercial septic system on the site.

“This is a very solid proposal,” Mrs Llodra told The Bee after the meeting. “But it would present a challenge to the builder if there is a septic system.” She added that a current soft estimate to build a septic system to accommodate the proposed development, which is still under wraps, was between $2.5 and $4 million.

“Those numbers are 2008 approximations,” she said. “So the developer is expressing a willingness to explore options to get sewer service.”

Since the undeveloped parcel is in such proximity to Interstate 84, and the cost of commercial building has trended downward in recent years, Mrs Llodra told the Finance Committee that the 33- and 66- acre parcels, which have separate owners, have been the subject of as many as “five serious” developer inquiries in just the past year.

She also said if the town does not or cannot bond the sewer improvements, it is possible those bonds might be offered by the Newtown Water and Sewer Authority. Mrs Llodra said that within the week, she will have a much clearer idea of what a septic system might cost the developer, as well as a solidified estimate for the sewer extension.

The finance committee, which acted on other issues, is recommending the CIP for review by the council, with the sewer project flagged for possible adjustment pending the inclusion of more solid cost estimates, and an update on the developers position on acquiring the property.