IWC Fields Continuing Concerns Over Sherman Woods

By Andrew Gorosko

People living the near the 158-acre site off Sherman Street in Sandy Hook proposed for the 38-lot Sherman Woods residential subdivision are continuing to raise issues about the environmental effects of the project on their neighborhood.

Those residents spoke on July 8 at the third session of a continuing Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) public hearing on the development proposal submitted by developer William H. Joyce of Shepard Hill Road.

The IWC reviews the protection of wetlands and watercourses and related plants and animals in such development applications. If the project gains IWC approval, it would be subject to additional review by the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z).

The Sherman Woods site lies in the area surrounded by Berkshire Road, Sugarloaf Road, Sherman Street, Still Hill Road, and Toddy Hill Road. New streets serving the project would intersect with Toddy Hill Road and Still Hill Road. The developer proposes constructing about 3,550 linear feet of new roadways on the site. The complex would include 36 new single-family houses, plus two existing houses. Each house would have an individual water well and an individual septic waste disposal system.

Some of the site lies in the town’s environmentally sensitive Aquifer Protection District (APD), an overlay zone located above the Pootatuck Aquifer, which is the underground water source for two local public water supplies. The scenic site contains wooded areas and rolling open meadows. Cattle are raised on the property. The property holds an extensive amount of wetlands and watercourses.

Rob Sibley, town deputy director of land use and planning, said the applicant has sought an extension of time for the public hearing, as he prepares technical responses to an independent engineering review of the application that was prepared for the town and also to comments and questions from the public.

The public hearing started on June 10. A second session was held on June 24. The hearing held on July 8 will resume on July 22.

Civil Engineer Larry Edwards, representing the developer, said the applicant would provide responses to various issues raised about the project when the hearing continues on July 22.

IWC member Sharon W. Salling of 10 Old Mill Road recused herself from participating in reviewing the application because her property abuts the development site.

Marie Kitterman of 22 Sherman Street pointed out to IWC members that a pond on the development site is a naturally occurring pond at which a dam was added by its previous owner in the late 1950s.

Mr Sibley later responded that the IWC regulates the environmental aspects of ponds whether they are created ponds or natural ponds.

One Sherman Street resident pointed out to IWC members that there are two vernal pools that appear annually in the springtime along Sherman Street in the development area. She asked what would happen to those natural features in the face of residential development. Vernal pools are temporary pools of water that harbor amphibian life.

John Kitterman of 22 Sherman Street said that a stormwater control basin, which was created in the past as part of a residential development along nearby Hoseye Coach Road, appears to have had an adverse effect on a nearby roadway, resulting in washout problems there.

Mr Kitterman asked whether such stormwater control basins proposed for the Sherman Woods site would cause similar problems.

Michael Tallon of 62 Toddy Hill Road expressed concerns that the presence of Sherman Woods would increase stormwater flow through his area, possibly adversely affecting his domestic water well. He also expressed concerns about such a development’s effects on wildlife in rural area. One of two new roads that would enter the proposed subdivision would be constructed near Mr Tallon’s property.

Richard Boritz of 30 Still Hill Road said he is concerned about the possible pollution and contamination of water in the area due to residential development.

One Still Hill Road resident expressed concerns that new residential development would damage the quality of the underlying Pootatuck Aquifer.

IWC Chairman Anne Peters pointed out that the IWC’s review is limited to surface water quality in wetlands and watercourses.

Mr Sibley said the IWC does not address water well issues, adding that such matters are handled by the P&Z and the town Health Department.

Peter Sepe of 83 Toddy Hill Road, who raises sheep on his property, asked about the development project’s effects on adjacent agriculture.

Mr Sibley suggested that Mr Sepe raise such issues with the P&Z, the Conservation Commission, and the Economic Development Commission.

The town-sponsored engineering review of the Sherman Woods proposal has found that in its current configuration, the project would pose a high probability of damage to wetlands and watercourses, especially in terms of long-term adverse effects on water quality and the shape of stream channels on the site.