Date: Fri 15-Jan-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

wetlands-subdivisions

Full Text:

Two New Subdivisions Submitted For Wetlands Review

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Two developers have submitted wetland construction applications to the

Conservation Commission in connection with proposals to build a total of 51

new single-family houses -- 26 houses in Hawleyville off Farrell Road, and 25

houses in Sandy Hook off Canterbury Lane.

Toll Brothers, Inc, of Armonk, N.Y., a major residential developer, is seeking

a wetlands construction permit for the proposed construction of 26 houses on

114 acres in Hawleyville. The proposed subdivision, known as Newtown Hunt,

would have new roads which connect to Farrell Road and Hawleyville Road.

Also, developer Ralph Haberstroh of Green Knolls Lane is seeking a wetlands

construction permit for Canterbury Woods, a proposed 25-house subdivision on

56 acres in Sandy Hook. The development would be built on extensions of the

existing Canterbury Lane and Clapboard Ridge Road. Those roads are part of the

sprawling Bennetts Farm subdivision which was built during the past several

years.

Also, Walnut Tree Developers has submitted revised wetland design plans for

its proposed construction of 133 new condominium units at Walnut Tree Village

on Walnut Tree Hill Road in Sandy Hook, said C. Stephen Driver, the town

conservation official.

With the Walnut Tree Village submission, since the start of the new year,

Conservation Commission members have received wetlands applications in

connection with the proposed construction of a total 184 new dwellings, Mr

Driver observed.

"This is really an interesting start this year," he said.

Newtown Hunt

Besides the Newtown Hunt proposal, Toll Brothers has developed Newtown Chase

and Greenleaf Farms in Newtown. The firm is developing Ridgebury Hills in

Danbury. Toll Brothers is a large nationwide luxury home builder headquartered

in Huntingdon Valley, Penn. The company has done extensive residential

development in Fairfield County and Westchester County.

The Newtown Hunt proposal will require extensive Conservation Commission

review, Mr Driver said, noting that almost half of the 114-acre development

site lies in wetlands. He termed the wetlands aspects of the application "very

complex," requiring a detailed review of the environmental effects of

constructing 26 houses, streets and driveways.

In putting together the development proposal, Toll Brothers is combining four

individual land parcels, he said. The owner of record is listed as J&M Realty

and Associates. The site lies primarily in an area with 2-acre minimum

residential zoning.

Pocono Brook, a tributary of Pond Brook, runs through the site, as do the

Algonquin and Iroquois natural gas transmission pipelines.

The property has a varied landscape with fields, thickets, hedgerows, brooks,

excavated ponds, wetlands and watercourses. Some of the site is flat, while

other sections are steep and rocky.

One existing house would be demolished to prepare the site for construction. A

trail system would be provided. Approximately 34 acres of the site would be

reserved as open space for passive forms of recreation.

There are 11 property owners with holdings within 500 feet of the development

site.

Mr Driver said he expects the application will be the subject of a

Conservation Commission public hearing. If Toll Brothers gains a wetlands

construction permit, it still requires subdivision approval from the Planning

and Zoning Commission (P&Z).

Canterbury Woods

The land proposed for Canterbury Woods is generally wooded. Under the

development plan, the existing Canterbury Lane would be extended and the

existing Clapboard Ridge Road would be looped to connect with Canterbury Lane.

A trail system would be provided on the property, as would 17 acres of open

space land for passive recreation.

The Conservation Commission will be reviewing the environmental effects of

construction on a section of the site which has severe slopes and wetlands.

The home building proposed for Canterbury Woods would be similar to the

construction that exists in the adjacent Bennetts Farm. Most of the Canterbury

Woods site has one-acre residential zoning.

The owners of record for the land are: HF, LLC; Milana, LLC; Susan Levison;

Lucy Carroll, and Bennetts Farm Associates.

If the Conservation Commission approves Canterbury Woods, the project would

also need P&Z approval.