Date: Fri 23-Oct-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Conservation-Winton-Farm-M&E

Full Text:

Conservation Panel OKs Winton Farm Subdivision

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

The Conservation Commission has approved a wetlands construction permit for

Winton Farm, a 16-lot residential subdivision proposed for 95 acres off Pine

Tree Hill Road, near the Monroe town line.

Conservation Commission members approved the wetlands license in a 4-to-0 vote

October 14, but placed several conditions on the approval. Winton Farm,

formerly proposed as Sentinel Ridge, still requires a residential subdivision

approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z).

Applicant M&E Land Group, whose principals are developers Thomas Maguire and

Larry Edwards, want to create 16 two-acre building lots on the site.

When initially submitted for Conservation Commission review in April, Sentinel

Ridge consisted of 31 house lots. The Conservation Commission later turned

down Sentinel Ridge.

In June, M&E Land Group submitted a revised version of its 31-lot Sentinel

Ridge plan, known as Winton Farm. It is the 16-lot Winton Farm proposal which

has gained Conservation Commission approval.

Acreage which would not be developed now in the Winton Farm plan would allow

the developers to return to the town in the future seeking re-subdivisions of

land, thus allowing the developers to potentially get approximately 30 lots

overall from the 95 acres.

In the current version of the subdivision, only lots with frontage on Pine

Tree Hill Road would be developed. Constructing a new road eventually would

make it possible to develop the property's interior. That interior land,

however, would be more difficult to develop due to its more rugged terrain.

At a May Conservation Commission meeting, commission members voted 6-0 to

deny, without prejudice, M&E Land Group's application to perform regulated

wetlands construction work and take steps to mitigate the disruption to

wetlands on the sloping site which was then known as Sentinel Ridge.

The property is basically wooded land that contains a wetland corridor running

in a north-south direction. The land contains hardwoods such as oak, beech,

and hickory. Stone walls run alongside Pine Tree Hill Road.

The development site has R-2 zoning, meaning a building lot must be at least

two acres in area.

As part of the development project, Messrs Maguire and Edwards have proposed

widening Pine Tree Hill Road from the southern end of the site to Pine Tree

Hill Road's intersection with Bear Hills Road. New stormwater drainage

structures would be installed. A stormwater retention basin would be built on

the site to prevent sedimentation problems from the site.

Conditions of Approval

As part of its approval, the Conservation Commission is requiring the

developers of Winton Farm to complete the renovation of an existing pond for

the retention of excess stormwater flow and fire protection.

The open space hiking trail system proposed by the developers depends upon the

presence of an "old town road" at the northern end of Pine Tree Hill Road.

Because access to open space land is complicated by the presence of a drainage

structure and steep slopes, it is important that the "old town road" be

confirmed by the developers' legal representative as a legal right-of-way for

open space use, according to Conservation Commission records.

Also, the commission wants the developers to preserve three dominant trees by

designating open space areas around them.

The commission members note the application does not include any wetland

impacts except for a stormwater drainage discharge. However, if the developers

make any changes to their plans which would change the project's impact on

wetlands, the developers must then submit those changes for review before they

are implemented.