Date: Fri 06-Nov-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

WPCA-Walnut-Tree-Village

Full Text:

WPCA Agrees To Additional Sewer Service For Walnut Tree Village

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) members have endorsed providing

municipal sewer service for an expanded Walnut Tree Village condominium

complex.

In their endorsement, WPCA members granted preliminary approval to provide

sewage treatment capacity for an additional 133 condominium units on Walnut

Tree Hill Road, thus allowing the complex to potentially expand from the

currently approved 80 units to 213 units.

WPCA members made the preliminary approval at the request of Louis DeFilio and

George Trudell who are doing business under the name Walnut Tree Developers.

The condo complex on Walnut Tree Hill Road, which is designed for people over

55, is the first development of its kind locally.

Expanding the condominium complex still requires approval from the

Conservation Commission, the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z), and the

state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), a process that is expected

to take more than six months.

In August, Conservation Commission members turned down a requested wetlands

construction permit for an expanded Walnut Tree Village, citing deficiencies

in the application.

At that time, Walnut Tree Developers was seeking Conservation Commission

approval to expand the complex at 26 Walnut Tree Hill Road from 80 units to

226 units.

After studying the development proposal, a WPCA subcommittee recommended to

the full WPCA that the town could provide sewage treatment for only up to 133

new condos.

The developers will be returning to the Conservation Commission with a revised

application that addresses the deficiencies mentioned by the commission in

rejecting the application.

The King's Mark Environmental Review Team will present its environmental

assessment of how the construction project would affect the area.

At a May public hearing, Walnut Tree Hill Road area residents made it clear to

the Conservation Commission that they do not favor plans to expand the condo

complex. The residents said they believe that an expanded complex would damage

their quality of life and hurt their property values.

The 34-acre development site lies north of Church Hill Road, east of Walnut

Tree Hill Road, west of Dayton Street, and south of Patriot Ridge Road.

The property is in an EH-10 zone. EH-10 zones permit far greater building

densities than typical residential zones. EH-10 zones are designated for

multifamily residences for people over 55.