P&Z Approves 23-Lot Meridian Ridge In Hawleyville On Second Try

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members on August 7 approved revised plans for a 23-lot residential subdivision on Old Hawleyville Road, known as Meridian Ridge –– a development proposal that the P&Z had rejected in an earlier version last winter.

When P&Z members turned down the previous version of Meridian Ridge last January, they cited a variety of technical concerns about the project. So the developers went back to the drawing board to address those problems, with an eye toward improving the development design.

The developers for the project are HW 1945, LLC, and Charter Group, Inc. The developers plan 23 house lots for a 71-acre wooded parcel at 30 Old Hawleyville Road. The site lies north of Interstate 84 and south of the Maybrook rail line, which is used by the Housatonic Railroad. The site holds many well-worn trails created by the use of all-terrain vehicles.

The developers plan two new streets for Meridian Ridge. A winding road, known as Meridian Ridge Drive, would intersect with Old Hawleyville Road and connect to Fairfield Drive in Brookfield. A dead-end spur road, known as Crosswind Court, would extend northward from Meridian Ridge Drive in Newtown, near the Brookfield town line.

Last January, P&Z members had unanimously rejected a 22-lot version of Meridian Ridge, which was then proposed for 60 acres. Reasons for that rejection included violations of “rear lot” regulations; lot access problems; questionable locations for some water wells and septic systems; easement issues; and land engineering concerns. Meridian Ridge originally had been proposed as a 24-lot development on 60 acres.

Before the P&Z approved the current version of Meridian Ridge, commission Chairman William O’Neil pointed out that a cellular telecommunications tower is positioned on the development site. The presence of that tower had not been raised during a July 17 public hearing on the project.

The P&Z’s tower regulations require that any new tower be built at least 500 feet away from the nearest existing home, Mr O’Neil said. Those regulations do not, however, address the minimum separation distances between homes and towers in cases when new homes are built near an existing tower.

Mr O’Neil urged that the home nearest to the tower be built outside of the tower’s “fall zone,” so that if the tower were to fall over, it would not strike that house. The tower is located on the north side of Interstate 84, near the Brookfield town line.

Although the P&Z has regulations on telecommunications towers, the Connecticut Siting Council has assumed jurisdiction over the construction of such structures.

In its motion to approve Meridian Ridge, the P&Z decided that the developers must post a $1.4 million performance bond, which would cover road construction, the installation of underground water storage facilities for firefighting, the planting of trees along subdivision streets, the improvement of adjacent roads and stormwater drainage structures, and the construction of common driveways.

The P&Z is requiring that planned trails, designated open space areas, and easements on the property be permanently marked to make it obvious that those areas are open for public use. Those areas will be open to pedestrians, bicyclists, and horseback riders, but closed to motorized vehicles. The P&Z is requiring trails on the site to have gravel surfaces.

Also, the P&Z is requiring that the main subdivision road be connected to the Brookfield road network before any home building permits are issued for Meridian Ridge.

At a heavily attended August 2002 P&Z public hearing on the previous unsuccessful version of Meridian Ridge, Old Hawleyville Road area residents voiced concerns that the presence of a new subdivision in their neighborhood would damage their quality of life, focusing on the hazards posed by increased traffic in the area and potential problems stemming from altered stormwater drainage flow.

At the July 17 public hearing on the revised version of the project, the developers explained that the current design is “substantially improved” compared to the previous plan. The developers have acquired more acreage and a drainage easement to improve the project’s design. The revised design includes additional open space. There was no public opposition to Meridian Ridge at the July hearing.

The planned lots in the development comply with the P&Z’s revised rules on calculating lot sizes.

Last September, P&Z members revised the town’s the land use regulations to exclude wetlands and steep slopes from minimum lot size calculations, in order to limit construction on marginal land, as the town continues to grow.

Last summer, the developers had submitted the initial Meridian Ridge proposal before the land use rules became stricter.

Homes in Meridian Ridge would range from 3,300 to 3,800 square feet in floor area.

The developers also plan to build a 24-unit complex of individual, freestanding condominiums situated on 25 adjacent acres in Brookfield, known as Carriage Homes on The Pond. Those condos would be built on Fairfield Drive in Brookfield.