Hattertown Road—

P&Z Reviews Four-Lot Subdivision Proposal

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are considering a proposed four-lot residential subdivision on Hattertown Road, a project whose potential presence has drawn concerns from nearby property owners.

Hattertown LLC proposes the home construction project for a steeply sloped 11.4-acre site at 22 Hattertown Road, which has a significant amount of wetlands. The property is on the west side of Hattertown Road, about 700 feet north of Hattertown Road’s intersection with Poverty Hollow Road.

Civil engineer John McCoy of JFM Engineering, Inc, of Ridgefield presented the subdivision proposal to P&Z members at a February 21 public hearing.

The developer also is seeking a wetlands approval for the project from the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC), Mr McCoy said.

The site, which has R-1 (Residential) zoning, would be cut into four separate lots under the proposal. An open space area on the site may be situated adjacent to existing open space land that is owned by the Newtown Forest Association (NFA). Approximately 22 percent of the site would be designated as open space land.

The developer proposes constructing curving driveways that would extend from Hattertown Road to the home sites. The driveway curvature would be necessary to meet the P&Z’s steepness limits for driveways. Retaining walls would be built to hold back earthen areas near the driveways, Mr McCoy said.

The developer will provide additional technical details to the town engineer and the P&Z for the subdivision proposal review, he said.

 

Public Comment

Bob Eckenrode of 7 Wildcat Road, representing the NFA, noted that the association owns the 11-acre Griffin Preserve near the development site.

In a statement, Mr Eckenrode said, “The NFA feels that this four-lot development is intensive for such a steep slope and [is located] in an area that will have possibly limited sightlines and pose definitive drainage management issues.”

Mr Eckenrode noted that the Griffin Preserve lies downslope of the development site and would be subject to water quality issues posed by the construction project. He offered a range of suggestions on how the development plans could be improved to environmentally protect the NFA’s adjacent open space area, as well as to improve public access to the NFA’s open space.

Mr Eckenrode said the NFA wants to cooperate with the town and the developer to ensure that the site is developed properly.

Glorianne Garvin of 12 Hattertown Road said that the presence of a four-lot subdivision would pose a public safety issue in terms of traffic. The area experiences many motor vehicle accidents, she said. P&Z members should consider school bus safety when reviewing the development proposal, she added.

Bill Brassard of 31 Hattertown Road said his home lies across Hattertown Road from the development site. Mr Brassard expressed concerns about potentially hazardous locations for the driveways that would serve the subdivision’s houses. New development could complicate traffic conditions along Hattertown Road, he said.

Vincent Brunelli of 42 Hattertown Road noted that the development site holds some caves that formerly were used by Native Americans.

Mr Brunelli said he is concerned about the increase in traffic that new development would bring to the area. The presence of more driveways along Hattertown Road will make traffic conditions more hazardous, he said.

Mr McCoy told P&Z members that he would respond to the issues raised by nearby property owners when the public hearing resumes at an upcoming P&Z meeting.