Developer George Trudell came before the Borough of Newtown Board of Burgesses on June 13 to present to them a 112 home cluster development they are looking to build at 20 to 60 Castle Hill Road.

This is the third such presentation Trudell and his team have done, but the first at a public event. Two prior informal presentations were privately conducted for property owners along Taunton Lake and to neighboring residents of the Borough in March.

The proposed homes will be built on roughly 40 acres of the 132 acre property, with none of the homes located on roughly 75 acres nearest the lake. All 112 homes will be clustered together, with roughly 25 to 50 feet between them.

The undeveloped land will be put into a conservation easement so it will never be developed.

“This way there will be less disturbance of the natural resources,” said Trudell.

The specific regulation they will be using is 4.05.1, which allows residential open space developments. The homes will be clustered in one area of the development to maximize the open space surrounding it and would be a “multi-generational” development with homes between 1,800 and over 3,000 square feet. There will be large setbacks around the homes from the surrounding roads.

He said the homes would fit the architectural style of the surrounding borough.

“There will be different types of homes to meet different kinds of needs,” said Trudell.

The development will have pickleball courts, a pool, a clubhouse, and a one-acre green, among other amenities available to residents.

There are plans for preservation of the barn and bomb shelter on the property, with the former being possibly used for art galleries, or as office space for those who want to work remotely but in a more office-like setting, and the latter for a wine cellar.

Trudell said it was a shame that a single family home on the property had burned down, because there would have been plans to repurpose that as well.

The developer told borough officials that the plan was for them to extend the current sidewalk in the Borough from where it ends near the Liberty and Peace Monument to the entrance of the development, and into their property. Trudell said that the only entrance to the property would be off Mt Pleasant Road, but there will likely be an emergency-only entrance or entrances depending on the input of the fire marshal.

He said that the borough has “strict regulations” and that the proposed development would “meet and exceed all regulations.”

Burgess Jared Modzelewski asked about water and sewer to the property. Trudell said that there would be capacity; the lines in the area had been repaired so that there was enough capacity to serve the development, according to Public Works Director Fred Hurley.

One of about a dozen residents attending the meeting asked about the possible impact on schools, and Trudell said they will “do their best to forecast,” but have “no estimates yet.”

“Newtown has gone through phases with issues of overcrowding in schools, and overcrowding is not an issue now,” said Trudell. “We will do an analysis of the expenses and revenues for the town. We’re very proud of the project.

Resident Rachel Mele expressed appreciation to the developer, “for being so transparent.”

“You’ve met with the folks on the lake, and with the neighbors, and continue to share information,” said Mele. “I love that open space will be preserved and not touched.”

Trudell noted that the developers are looking into whether neighbors will be able to continue to utilize the open space for walking as they have been doing now. He noted that while the property owner doesn’t mind, it is technically trespassing on private property.

The property owner expressed concerns that when the land is developed, that allowing neighbors onto the property could be an insurance risk, but he said they are looking into it.

Burgess James Gaston asked if the property would be gated, and Trudell said it would not be. He noted that gated communities are popular down south but are not the feel the developers wanted to create here.

“We’ll have a beautiful entrance and we feel that’s sufficient,” said Trudell.

Gaston then asked about the historic Rochambeau Trail, which crosses the property.

The Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route is a 680-mile series of roads used in 1781 by the Continental Army under the command of George Washington and the Expédition Particulière under the command of Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau during their 14-week march from Newport, Rhode Island to Yorktown, Virginia.

Trudell said he is “looking into that,” and that a historian has been consulted to help them locate where exactly the trail crosses the property. “We’ll create a report for the town,” said Trudell.

At one of the March meetings, Joseph Draper, the owner of 20 to 60 Castle Hill Road, told residents he bought the property “ten or 11 years ago,” and that in the intervening years between then and now, “received a lot of calls” with offers from developers in different styles. He said that with every single offer, “access to the lake was paramount.”

Draper was not interested in that, however, because lake access would affect the forested land. Then he was approached by Trudell, who had a “different vision,” that would preserve 70 acres of land around the lake.

“Lakefront lots would be very valuable, but we chose this,” said Draper.

Trudell said he and the developer would be going before the Conservation Commission, Planning & Zoning Commission, and the Borough’s Zoning Board in coming months.

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Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.