Oak Ridge III Proposed As 17-Lot Residential Subdivision

By Andrew Gorosko

A development partnership is proposing the construction of a large 17-lot residential subdivision off Eden Hill Road, near the Easton town line.

The proposed Oak Ridge, Phase III, at 46 Eden Hill Road would be the largest local residential subdivision since the town approved the 23-lot Meridian Ridge development for 71 acres off Old Hawleyville Road, near Brookfield, in August 2003.

In comparison, in November 2005, the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) approved the 15-lot Ridge Valley Estates residential subdivision on 65 acres at 15 High Bridge Road, near Monroe. A nearby property owner then challenged that approval in court, delaying that development, which has now been partially constructed. 

Most of the residential development approved by the town during the past several years has come in the form of private age-restricted condominium complexes, such as the 178-unit Woods at Newtown on Mt Pleasant Road, the 54-unit Regency at Newtown off Oakview Road, the 96-unit Liberty at Newtown on Mt Pleasant Road, and the 109-unit Walnut Tree Village, Phase II, on Walnut Tree Hill Road.

Conservation Official Rob Sibley said he expects that the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) will conduct a public hearing in September on the wetlands aspects of Oak Ridge III. The subdivision proposal also is subject to review and approval by the P&Z.

Nick and Gino Vona, mason contractors, of Fairfield propose Oak Ridge III for a 79-acre site lying west of Eden Hill Road, south of Oak Ridge Road, and north of Split Rock Road. The site would contain 11 acres of open space land. The Vonas own the site.

The subdivision would consist of 17 lots, including 15 new construction lots, plus two existing lots, according to an application filed with the IWC. One house already exists on the site, alongside Eden Hill Road. The site has R-2 and R-3 zoning, which requires minimum building lot sizes of two acres and three acres, respectively.

The project would be the third phase of the Vona brothers’ Oak Ridge subdivision. In 1989, they gained town approval for 16 lots in Oak Ridge, Phase I. In 1996, they received approval for 28 lots in Oak Ridge Phase II. The first and second phases of the Oak Ridge project have been completed. Those developments contain large, elaborate houses on heavily landscaped lots.

Tighe & Bond, consulting engineers, of Shelton has designed the Oak Ridge III subdivision.

Under the development proposal submitted to the IWC, Split Rock Road, which is now a dead end, would be extended into the Oak Ridge III site, making Split Rock Road a through-road.

The extension of Split Rock Road, plus the construction of Nicolina Way and Sebastian Trail within Oak Ridge III would result in approximately 3,100 feet of new roadway within the development. Oak Ridge III also would contain two spur-style cul-de-sacs.

Access to the new development would be provided from both Oak Ridge Road and Split Rock Road. The site has frontages on Eden Hill Road and Oak Ridge Road.

The site now consists of fields, wooded areas, and some forested wetlands. The property contains mature trees and a network of stone walls which remain from its former farming uses.