UPDATE/NOTE (Friday, June 2, 2017): This post has been updated from the version of the story offered in the June 2, 2017 print edition of The Newtown Bee, following the developer's request to have this project's public hearing with Planning & Zoning postponed.

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The Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) is reviewing the environmental protection aspects of a proposal to create a child day care center for up to 210 students at 2 Saw Mill Road in Hawleyville, at the intersection of Mt Pleasant Road, Hawleyville Road, and Saw Mill Road.

At a May 24 session, IWC members reviewed plans for the project from applicant RSD-Newtown, LLC, of Windsor, which is seeking a wetlands/watercourses protection permit. The project would combine 16,788 square feet of new construction with an existing 2,514-square-foot house for an overall 19,302-square-foot facility at the 1.9-acre site. The 1779 house at the site has been used as an office building.

An existing garage on the property would be razed to make way for the project. A 48-space parking lot would be constructed. Outdoor playgrounds would be created. Access to the site would be provided from Saw Mill Road, instead of its current Mt Pleasant Road driveway.

Civil engineer Dainius Virbickas of Artel Engineering Group, LLC, of Brookfield represented RSD-Newtown at the IWC meeting, describing the physical features of the site. Pond Brook crosses the southern end of the property and forms its western boundary. Pond Brook carries water from Taunton Lake to the Lake Lillinonah section of the Housatonic River.

Mr Virbickas noted that three-quarters of an acre at the site falls under the IWC's jurisdiction as a regulated area. Because the site slopes, the developer would need to construct retaining walls there to create a sufficiently large flat area for the new construction. The new 16,788-square-foot building would be constructed on two levels. The proposed construction would not adversely affect the regulated area, including a floodplain, Mr Virbickas said. A retaining wall would be built along the western boundary of the property, adjacent to Pond Brook.

Underground stormwater control devices would be installed at the site, Mr Virbickas said. Extensive planted buffers would be created, especially along Pond Brook. Soil erosion control and sedimentation control devices would be employed during construction, he said.

The project would be served by a public water supply, as well as municipal sanitary sewers, he said.

IWC Chairman Sharon Salling urged that suitable plans be formulated for snow removal at the site in the wintertime.

RSD developer Harry Freeman said his firm could formulate a snow removal plan acceptable to the town.

IWC members are expected to discuss and possibly act on the requested wetlands/watercourses protection permit at their June 14 meeting.

Planning & Zoning Review

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) had scheduled a public hearing on the day care center application for mid-June. But the developer later requested that the hearing be delayed, said George Benson, town director of planning. That hearing will now need to be rescheduled. The owners of 26 properties that lie within 500 feet of the site will be formally notified of that hearing by mail.

Through its P&Z application, RSD-Newtown is seeking a special zoning permit to construct the project, which lies in a B-2 (Business) zone.

A key component of any such application is a traffic report prepared by a traffic engineering firm for the applicant.

RSD-Newtown has submitted to the P&Z such a report prepared by DLS Traffic Engineering, LLC, of Windsor.

In its three-page report, DLS concludes that moving the accessway for the site from Mt Pleasant Road to Saw Mill Road improves traffic safety on Mt Pleasant Road and simplifies overall traffic flow patterns in the area.

Also, the proposed project can be accommodated by area roadways with improved safety and no significant impact on traffic operations, according to DLS.

Plans for the project are on file for public review at the Land Use Agency office at Newtown Municipal Center.