Date: Fri 06-Sep-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Hawleyville-trasportation

Full Text:

Public Comment Sought On Transportation And Development In Hawleyville

Public discussion on the transportation facilities which will be required for

economic development in Hawleyville is slated for Wednesday, September 11, at

7:30 pm, at Newtown Middle School cafeteria, 11 Queen Street.

At the session, discussion will focus on the Interstate-84/Exit-9 Hawleyville

Transportation and Development Study. The study, which is funded with federal,

state and regional money, will develop a comprehensive transportation planning

and engineering review of the Exit 9 area, said Elizabeth Stocker, the town's

director of community development.

The Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials (HVCEO) has gained state

Department of Transportation (DOT) approval to have Barakos-Landino Design

Group of Hamden perform the study. Local, regional and state officials are

serving on a steering committee for the project.

The public session will allow residents to comment on aspects of the planning

project.

The Exit 9 area of Hawleyville has long been viewed by town officials as a

prime place for local economic development.

A sewer line has been extended from the Danbury sewage treatment plant to the

Newtown-Bethel town line in preparation for a possible future sewer line

extension into Hawleyville.

The last major proposal to develop a section of Hawleyville met with sustained

vocal opposition from Hawleyville residents who feared it would adversely

affect the character of their area due to heavy traffic.

In the summer of 1995, Joy Brewster of Cassio Kennels on Mt Pleasant Road,

proposed the Connecticut Exposition and Performance Events Center (CEPEC), a

more than 100,000-square-foot exposition hall intended for a variety of trade

shows, public shows, and public events. Ms Brewster proposed the center for an

80-acre parcel across Route 25 from the Hawleyville Post Office.

The North Newtowners Homeowners' Association, comprised of residents of

Hawleyville, Currituck Road, and Butterfield Road, strongly opposed the

project. The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) rejected zoning regulations

requested by Ms Brewster which would have let the project proceed.

The latest proposal for Hawleyville development comes from the Danbury Square

Box Company which wants to build a box factory on Barnabas Road, next to the

Northeast Utilities Newtown Service Center.