While there are always uncertainties in when a board or commission may be expected to make a decision, and it is certainly possible that the deliberations on a proposed 117 home cluster subdivision may be granted an extension, it was the Borough Zoning Commission’s stated goal to be finishing up at its February meeting, which is expected to be at 7 pm Wednesday, February 19, in the Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall.

The Bee’s first coverage was at a neighbors’ meeting on March 23, 2023, where developer George Trudell and property owner Joseph Draper addressed those who lived nearby the development about what he was planning. The process has been lengthy and full of back and forth between the developers, the town, and a large contingent of residents who have attended many meetings along the way to voice their opposition to the proposal.

The application is asking for the approval of a 117 home cluster subdivision on 20 Castle Hill Road while leaving 60 Castle Hill Road, including Reservoir Road, which is part of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, often locally referred to as the Rochambeau Trail, as part of a proposed open space easement representing roughly 85 acres of the total 132 acres.

Opposition centers around the high density of the developed section of the property, its proximity to the historic Rochambeau Trail, and the amount of traffic it could add to Newtown’s congested main roads.

While some residents’ demands that the property be left permanently as open space may be a tad unrealistic, questioning whether a 117 home cluster subdivision that could effectively double the population of Main Street is the best for Newtown is certainly valid.

As Borough Zoning Commissioner Claudia Mitchell said, the important question is, “Is this a good plan for this place in the Borough at this time?”

The homes will be built in a cluster using a specific town regulation, 4.05.1, which allows residential open space developments. The homes will be clustered in one area of the development to maximize the open space surrounding it and would be a “multi-generational” development with homes between 1,800 and over 3,000 square feet. There will be “large setbacks” around the homes from the surrounding roads. Building the development the way it is, required the discontinuation of a section of Reservoir Road, a controversial decision that has already needed to be redone once and is now facing a court appeal.

The Board of Selectmen approved the discontinuation of Reservoir Road, which existed as both a trail and as a paper street, at a July 2024 meeting.

The four conditions placed on the property are:

*The discontinuation of the road is conditioned on the Borough Zoning Commission’s approval of the site plan application;

*On the development being built within five years of the approval of the site plan application;

*On the inclusion of the discontinued portion of the road as part of the final Declaration of Conservation Restriction.

*And on the conveyance of a mutually agreeable public easement to the Town of Newtown for pedestrian, bicycling, equestrian, and all other passive recreational uses (to exclude the use of motorized vehicles except as may be necessary by the Town or its designee to effectuate the purpose of the easement), and for municipal utility purposes.

Land Use Director Rob Sibley at a meeting in 2024 said that the road, like many roads in town, was established in the 1800s, and was adopted by the town in 1952. He said it hasn’t been in use “for at least 100 years,” and that it’s unimproved so it “only exists in maps.” Sibley also noted that the discontinuance of the road “only goes into effect if all approvals [from the Inland Wetlands Commission, Borough Zoning Commission, and the Planning & Zoning Commission] are obtained.”

The Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route is a 680-mile series of roads used in 1781 by the Continental Army under the command of George Washington and the Expédition Particulière under the command of Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau during their 14-week march from Newport, Rhode Island to Yorktown, Virginia.

Whether a final decision is made or there may be another meeting on the proposal in the future, we are still in the home stretch of a long process that has wended its way through multiple boards and commissions including the Board of Selectmen, Planning & Zoning, Inland Wetlands, and Borough Zoning. Those interested in seeing how it all turns out are encouraged to attend the Borough Zoning meeting(s), and keep up with the coverage in The Newtown Bee.