Where Is The Compromise

In The Rock Ridge Approval?

To the Editor:

As you may know, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the Rock Ridge Country Club’s application for a special exemption this month. If you read the article in The Bee last week, you might think that the Commission “came down hard” on the club. However, many of their “conditions” are already in effect or covered by the state’s noise ordinance laws.

The reason more than 30 Rock Ridge Road residents turned up at every P&Z hearing beginning July 2002 is because we were concerned about the additional noise and traffic the expansion of the club (to one of the largest buildings in Newtown) would cause to our quiet, family neighborhood. We presented evidence of high levels of noise from parties (check the police records), trucks awakening everyone up before dawn (as of two weeks ago), constant machinery noise, and hundreds of cars using the Rock Ridge Driveway for access to the club parking. Last summer, the club had presented a plan to close their Route 302 driveway completely and use only the Rock Ridge Road driveway, but P&Z told them they would have to use only the 302 driveway and close the Rock Ridge one. The neighborhood was pleased since we felt that justice had truly been served for all involved and we could regain some of our lost quality of living. Cleverly, the club withdrew their proposal last fall so they would not be bound by the commission’s conditions so they would not have to widen their 302 driveway.

This summer, they presented a plan with the appearance of “compromise,” using Rock Ridge as an exit-only driveway with a gate. This time, P&Z changed its mind about the safety and legal issues of putting commercial traffic unnecessarily onto a narrow, curvy, residential road full of children. They are allowing the club to use our road as their driveway. Since no other laws or regulations changed from last summer to this, and the precedent was set by other P&Z decisions such as the temple and the 2002 conditions on the club, why did P&Z change its decision about the driveways?

The Rock Ridge driveway has always been an exit-only with the exception that the club simply started using it without regard as a two-way drive in recent years greatly increasing the traffic on our road. So, where is the compromise? The clubhouse is bigger, able to host more weddings, parties, meetings, etc. Membership will surely rise ensuring that more noise and traffic will speed down our road at all hours of the early morning and late night. The original Rock Ridge exit-only drive was allowed and designed for a club membership of 50 –– not several hundred as it stands now.

The temple was voted down due to complaints from neighbors worried about traffic and noise from a few hundred cars four times a year. The club produces traffic of over 300 cars nearly every day and that’s not including special events. The temple had people who needed a larger place to worship. The club wants a larger place to party. Which would you want driving down your road?

 I am writing this to bring awareness to those who are not directly involved in this decision. Is this a new P&Z precedent? What does it say about Newtown? It is not fair nor logical nor even an appropriate decision so why did it happen? Food for thought, but it may not taste too well.

Sue Vogelman

26 Rock Ridge Road, Newtown                                        July 16, 2003