Date: Fri 27-Aug-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Walnut-Tree-Hill-Village

Full Text:

Residents Voice Concerns Over Walnut Tree Hill Village Expansion

(with graphic)

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Residents living near Walnut Tree Village, the Sandy Hook condominium complex

proposed for expansion from 80 to 213 units, are voicing a host of concerns

that an expansion project will adversely affect them.

Those concerns include traffic hazards, emergency vehicle access, tree

cutting, storm water runoff, parking, construction density, the ruggedness of

the terrain, and the project's effect on property values and nearby water

wells.

About 90 people attended an August 19 Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z)

public hearing on the topic. After four hours of discussion, P&Z members

continued the hearing to 8 pm September 2 at Room A-107 at Newtown High

School, 12 Berkshire Road.

Construction started on the 80-unit Walnut Tree Hill Road complex in 1995. It

is intended for people over age 55. When initially proposed in 1994, the first

section of Walnut Tree Village proved controversial. In response, the P&Z cut

the proposal from 90 to 80 units to reduce the project's effect on nearby

properties.

The developers built the initial 80 units on a level 18-acre site. The

additional 133 units would be built on an adjacent, steep 34-acre parcel.

Public Concerns

Resident Virginia Zimmerman-Gutbrod of 4 Walnut Tree Hill Road urged the P&Z

to deny the application. Most traffic on that road travels faster than the

posted 25 mph speed limit, she said, noting that the residents of the new

complex would be elderly.

Walnut Tree Village resident Larry LaReau of 27 St George Place said that the

flying dust and blasting done during the initial construction phase was not

too bothersome. Mr LaReau, a three-year resident of the complex, said the

village is secure and safe, providing a good setting for the elderly.

Some village residents have complained that the earth moving, blasting and

flying dust they encountered during the first construction phase was

disruptive, troublesome and annoying.

Resident George Burney of 58 Elizabeth Circle in the village said the proposed

new second entrance to Walnut Tree Village would provide hazardous sight lines

for motorists.

Attorney Courtney Tischer, representing the Nowak family of 7 Patriot Ridge

Road, told P&Z members the developers are not necessarily entitled to receive

all 133 units requested, noting that the property is not level. She suggested

repositioning some units or reducing the number of units near Patriot Ridge

Road. Such condominium construction can adversely affect the performance of

water wells and damage area water quality in general, she said.

Ms Tischer's client, Michael Nowak, told P&Z members the proposed construction

is too invasive of his property. In a story similar to one told by another

resident at the meeting, he said that during past blasting for condo

construction, his 680-foot-deep water well received heavy siltation, resulting

in his need to hydrofracture the well at a cost of $5,000. The construction

proposal would require blasting within 100 feet of his property and poses

threats to his property's value, he added.

Resident Mike Burness of 5 Patriot Ridge Road expressed fears that new

construction would result in water well problems on other nearby properties.

He termed the proposal "intrusive."

"Let's change the plan to accommodate the land, not change the land to

accommodate the plan," he said.

Resident Richard Haight of 99 Church Hill Road, who owns a large parcel

adjoining the site, endorsed the application.

Resident William Downing of Sawmill Ridge Road, a 35-year town resident, said

Walnut Tree Village will be an ideal place for him and his wife to move. He

urged its approval. The proposal also drew support from residents Alan Fiore

of 77 Brushy Hill Road and Mike Sowa of 14 Cemetery Road.

Resident Robert Campbell of 4 Stonewall Ridge Road said the developers should

not be blamed if motorists speed on Walnut Tree Hill Road. Having new condos

at the complex will strengthen the local tax base, he said.

Resident Mark Mauro of 84 Birch Hill Road also spoke in favor of the proposal.

Quality of Life Issues

Resident Tim Kochuba of 52 Walnut Tree Hill Road said four households near the

development site which have experienced four years of construction would

experience another five years of construction if the proposal is approved. The

quality of life and property values of the complex's neighbors have been

damaged, he said.

Mr Kochuba suggested a range of measures the P&Z could use to control

construction. These include limiting the time and frequency of blasting;

placing tighter limits on the amount of excavation allowed; limiting

construction hours; increasing buffer areas; and limiting the scope and length

of construction.

Mr Kochuba called the proposed complex the "inner city plan" based on its

construction density and closeness of streets, adding that the proposal does

not respect the site's topography. "This plan is much too tight," he said.

The proposed road layout poses public safety issues, he said, adding that long

dead-end streets are not appropriate. "You've got dead ends, leading to dead

ends, leading to dead ends," he said.

Mr Kochuba urged the P&Z to curtail the proposed development in the area near

Patriot Ridge Road to protect people living there.

The P&Z should demand excellence and creativity from the developers, not a

proposal which seeks to maximize the number of condos on the site, he said.

Mr Kochuba suggested an alternate 10-point development plan for the site which

he termed "Newtown-friendly." That plan recommends: creating large buffer

areas; providing more usable, accessible open space; creating a community

garden; creating a scenic overlook to provide a vista of adjacent Rocky Glen

State Park; providing better internal traffic flow; building fewer

turnarounds, and creating more and larger parking spaces, among other

features.

Resident Penny Meek of Butterfield Road said the second phase of the complex

would be a "blatant eyesore."

In a letter to the P&Z, Linda and Duane Jones of 16 Walnut Tree Hill Road

wrote that an expanded Walnut Tree Village will pose additional traffic

hazards in the neighborhood.

"Please help to preserve the town that we all love and want to keep. It is

growing so fast that the problems will only get bigger," they wrote. The

Joneses asked the P&Z to deny the application or greatly reduce the number of

units to be built.

In a letter to the P&Z, Mary Burnham and Jack Bestor of 24 Walnut Tree Hill

Road wrote that the developers are proposing an excessive number of units on

steep, rugged terrain. The proposed design would allow the basements of the

condos to be converted into living space in violation of the zoning

regulations, they wrote.

Traffic

Traffic engineer Irving Chann, representing the applicant, told P&Z members

the proposed 133 new units would generate 24 vehicle trips on Walnut Tree Hill

Road during the peak morning traffic hour and 40 vehicle trips during the peak

afternoon traffic hour. An estimated three-quarters of the residents of the

133 new units would use a proposed new driveway off Walnut Tree Hill Road near

Church Hill Road to get to their homes, while the remainder would use the

existing driveway off Walnut Tree Hill Road near Evergreen Road, he said.

Mr Chann said the traffic generated by new development would have minimal

impact on area roads, adding that Walnut Tree Hill Road can safely handle

additional traffic.

Architect Michael Stein told P&Z members the lessons learned from the

construction of the existing units would be applied to the second construction

phase. (See Related Story).

The developers hope to build a project which respects the land, Mr Stein said,

adding that the site would be well-buffered from adjacent properties. The

proposed 133 units would be built in four different sizes within 22 new

buildings, he said. Units would range in size from 1,025 to 1,371 square feet.

Construction options would include decks, porches, dormers and fireplaces. Mr

Stein described the architectural style as clapboard-clad capes in earth

tones, such as taupe and dark brown.

Engineer Bill Carboni, representing the applicant, said Walnut Tree Developers

has made many changes to its construction proposal for the 133 units following

appearances before the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) and

Conservation Commission, plus meetings with neighbors of the site.

Many of the environmental protection recommendations made by the King's Mark

Environmental Review Team have been incorporated into the plan presented to

the P&Z, he said. The project would be built in three construction phases

across a five-year period, he said, adding that the various construction

problems which were encountered in building the initial 80 units can be

avoided.

Attorney Stephen Wippermann, representing the applicants, said that during the

construction of the proposed 133 units, construction traffic will be

prohibited from traveling directly between the 133 new units and the existing

80 units.