Sandy Hook Center Redevelopment Proposed

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are slated to conduct a public hearing next week on a proposal to commercially redevelop a section of Sandy Hook Center with new uses, including a Newtown Savings Bank branch office.

The P&Z hearing on applicant Verdat Kala’s redevelopment proposal is slated for 7:30 pm Thursday, June 3, at the Municipal Center at 3 Primrose Street at Fairfield Hills. Mr Kala is seeking a special permit for the project.

The project would redevelop the 3.2-acre site that consists of #2, #4, #6, and #8 Riverside Road. The western end of the property is situated on the corner of Riverside Road and Washington Avenue.

Besides the P&Z application, Mr Kala also has applications pending before the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) concerning wetlands protection and aquifer protection.

The project would involve the construction of four new buildings, plus the expansion of The Villa Restaurant & Pizza at 4 Riverside Road.

 According to a report prepared for the applicant by a consulting hydrogeology firm, the project would require the removal of three existing buildings on the site — a commercial building at 2 Riverside Road which is on the corner of Riverside Road and Washington Avenue, a house at 6 Riverside Road, and a house at 8 Riverside Road.

The two-story bank that would be located at 2 Riverside Road would have vehicle access via the two-way driveway on Riverside Road that serves The Villa.

The Villa would be expanded with both enclosed space and with patio space on the northern side of the building.

Also, the site would contain a new two-story building that would contain a child daycare facility on the first level plus office space on the second level, a new two-story building with retail uses on the first level and medical offices on the second level, and a new 1½- story retail building.

The project would be built in two phases, with the bank and daycare building constructed in the first phase, and the other new structures built during the second phase.

The project would be served by sanitary sewers and individual water wells.

The site is in the Sandy Hook Design District (SHHD). The SHDD zoning regulations, which were created in 1995, are intended to encourage a diversity of compatible uses in Sandy Hook Center to enforce the district as a historic, mixed-use hamlet functioning as a neighborhood commercial hub, which is also attractive to visitors.

The SHDD zoning regulations emphasize the value of the pedestrian scale, historic quality, and natural resources of the area. The regulations seek to encourage mixed-use development that locates dwellings near employment, shopping, and services. The SHDD regulations are flexible rules intended to encourage the creation of public walkways, bicycle paths, shared off-street parking lots, and landscaped public spaces.