Several Revisions Explored—

Developer Reanalyzing Sherman Woods Drainage, Stormwater Controls

By Andrew Gorosko

A representative for the developer of the proposed 38-lot Sherman Woods residential subdivision told the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) July 22 that the developer revised plans for the project based on IWC’s technical review of the construction application.

Those revisions include reducing the extent of earthen cutting required to create some driveways, and reanalyzing the proposed subdivision’s drainage design and its stormwater controls with an eye toward making improvements.

Civil engineer Larry Edwards of Easton, representing developer William H. Joyce of Shepard Hill Road, explained to IWC members how plans for the development on 158 acres off Sherman Street in Sandy Hook have been revised based on the IWC’s engineering review of the project. Mr Edwards also responded to some past public comments which questioned the environmental wisdom of the subdivision’s design.

Mr Edwards spoke at the fourth session of the ongoing IWC public hearing on the subdivision proposal. The fifth session of the IWC hearing is slated for August 12.

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.

The site would hold about 45 acres of open space land that would be left undeveloped. That open space would exist on two tracts, with the bulk of it situated along a wetland corridor adjacent to Keating Pond Brook.

Also, the subdivision would hold more than 17 acres protected by conservation easements, or areas where physical changes are prohibited for environmental reasons.

Mr Edwards told IWC members on July 22 that many of the issues that have been raised by the IWC’s engineering consultant concern the development review that would be performed by the P&Z.

At the town’s request, civil engineer Steven Trinkaus of Trinkaus Engineering, LLC, of Southbury, performed an engineering review of the Sherman Woods project. That review focused on site design, erosion, sedimentation, stormwater control, compliance with land use rules, and the possible adverse effects of development on wetlands and watercourses. Mr Trinkaus submitted a 17-page technical critique of the project.

Mr Edwards explained that the developer’s revised plans include additional details on the types of soil that are found on the site, and added information for each proposed lot at the Sherman Woods project. Initially, the developer had considered whether to apply for the project under the terms of the P&Z’s “cluster housing” regulations, but opted against doing so for practical reasons, Mr Edwards said.

Those regulations specify that no more than ten percent of a building lot be developed, which unacceptably limits the amount of construction that could occur on each lot, he said. Under a cluster housing design, there would be more open space on the site, but also a need to build more roadway, he said.

Such a subdivision design would not necessarily better protect the wetlands on the site, he said.

In August 2004, after nearly two years of review, the P&Z approved a specialized set of land use rules for cluster housing developments known as the Open Space Conservation Subdivision (OSCS) regulations. Those regulations intend to maximize the amount of undeveloped land that would be preserved in new subdivisions of single-family homes, as a mechanism to limit suburban sprawl.

In view of the issues raised in the IWC’s engineering review, some revisions have also been made to the grading plan, Mr Edwards said. He described lot-by-lot how the developer would modify the plans based on the IWC’s engineering analysis of the project.

Mr Edwards and IWC members also discussed the possibility of subdivision residents clearing wooded areas on their building lots as a means to create scenic views from their homes.

The town-sponsored engineering review of the initial Sherman Woods proposal found that 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.

Environmental scientist George Logan of Rema Ecological Services, LLC, of Manchester, represents the developer. On July 22, Mr Logan was prepared to describe his 22-page response to Mr Trinkaus’s 17-page critique of the project.

IWC members, however, opted to hear that response at a future session.

Public Comment

During the public comment section of the July 22 IWC session, several residents spoke.

Dan Holmes of Farmery Lane, representing both the Pootatuck Watershed Association and the Clean Energy Task Force, said of the development application, “It’s a very complex question.”

Mr Holmes asked what other options exist besides creating a 38-lot subdivision on the site. “It all gets down to water quality,” he said.

Mr Holmes said he is encouraged by the level of public attendance at the IWC hearings on the Sherman Woods application.

Marie Kitterman of Sherman Street said that a vernal pool has intermittently existed along Sherman Street in the development area for at least the past 40 years. Vernal pools are occasional shallow bodies of water that contain amphibians.

The area has had several vernal pools, some of which appear more frequently than others, she said. One large vernal pool typically lasts seven to eight months of the year, reaching a depth of up to one foot, she added.

Margaret Soto of Deerfield Drive said vernal pools are rich in amphibian life. “I’m just very concerned about the environmental impact to the water,” she said. Ms Soto said she would submit illustrative photos of amphibian life to the IWC.

“It just seems like it’s not the place to build,” she said, noting that the Sherman Woods site holds many wetlands, watercourses, and wooded areas.

The site holds about 32 acres of wetlands, representing one-fifth of the property’s area.

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.

A stream, known as Keating Pond Brook, drains south-to-north through the site. That stream courses through an extensive wetlands corridor. The watercourses on the site eventually drain to Curtis Pond. The property holds a five-acre pond. A major environmental issue facing the applicant would be the preservation of the major stream and the pond on the site.

Sherman Woods is the largest subdivision proposed for town since Cider Mill Farm, which is adjacent to Lower Paugussett State Forest and north of the Bennetts Farm residential subdivision in Sandy Hook. M&E Land Group applied to the P&Z for the 52-lot Cider Mill Farm on 137 acres in June 2000. That project gained P&Z approvals for three development phases, with the final phase endorsed by the P&Z in November 2002.