Horse Country—

P&Z Wants Equestrian Agreement For Foxview Farm Estates

By Andrew Gorosko

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) has asked the applicant for an 18-lot residential subdivision on Hundred Acres Road to reach a formal agreement with the Newtown Bridle Lands Association (NBLA) concerning future equestrian access to the 72-acre Foxview Farm Estates site before the P&Z acts on the development application.

Development applicant and property owner Judith Holmes of 25 Hundred Acres Road proposes subdividing 72 acres of the Foxview Farm horse farm into 18 lots. Fifteen of those lots would be sites for new houses. Three lots would hold existing structures. The development would contain more than 12 acres of open space land, including a bridle trail. The site contains almost seven acres of wetlands.

Ms Holmes proposes construction of a 900-foot-long dead-end street known as Holmes Farm Road. That road would extend into the property from Hundred Acres Road, at its intersection with Dug Hill Road, which is a narrow dirt road.

Eight house lots would be created on the proposed Holmes Farm Road. Other lots would have frontage on Hundred Acres Road. Overall, the development would have 12 frontage lots and six rear lots.

The rolling Foxview Farm is on the east side of Hundred Acres Road. The farm currently boards horses for local equestrians.

Engineer Holt McChord, representing Ms Holmes, told P&Z members at a August 5 public hearing that a bridle trail easement would be provided on the property, which has long been used for equestrian events.

“It’s very important to the Holmeses to leave a legacy of a good trail,” Mr McChord said. The Holmeses would take the steps necessary to make the horse trail on the site a passable trail, he said. Such work might involve blasting, the addition of earthen material, or the relocation of the proposed trail easement, he said.

The horse trail would be delineated by the presence of permanent markers, he said. It is important that potential buyers of lots within the subdivision know the location of a horse trail that passes through the site, he said.

Also, it is important that a horse trail easement be legally deeded to the NBLA, he said.

Mr McChord said the applicant is agreeable to the various conditions for a horse trail as specified by the NBLA.

NBLA President Beverley Marr said the equestrian group is concerned about the future of the site, noting that Foxview Farm has been used by the group for its annual hunter-pace horse event. Most of the proposed trail easement is on good land, but some sections of it need to be improved, she said.

To make the proposed horse trail usable, the NBLA wants some rock ledge to be cleared out by digging or drilling. Alternately, the trail could be rerouted around that ledge, according to the horse group.

Also, the NBLA wants a 20-foot-wide trail to be clear of trees, boulders, and brush. The group also wants permanent concrete trail markers to be installed. It also wants the easement to be recorded on town land records.

P&Z Chairman William O’Neil said he would keep open the public hearing until the applicant and the NBLA reach a formal horse access agreement for the property.

Other Issues

Mr McChord explained that the applicant and the Board of Selectmen have reached a town roadwork agreement that specifies the improvements that the applicant would make to town roads near the subdivision site.

Stormwater runoff from the development site would be well regulated to prevent contamination problems in a farm pond on the west side of Hundred Acres Road, he said.

The engineer described the design of an intersection where a new subdivision road would meet Dug Hill Road and Hundred Acres Road.

P&Z member Sten Wilson questioned the overall practicality of the proposed subdivision’s design in terms of horse usage. Mr Wilson said the specifics of the sequence of development on the site are unclear.

P&Z member Lilla Dean said that the field marking of the proposed road and building lots on the site was poorly done, making it difficult to visualize the development plans.

Mr O’Neil added that he found it difficult to gauge how the site would be developed based on field markings posted on the property.

P&Z member Jane Brymer termed the subdivision plan a “patchwork design.” The design is not well organized, requiring that a better plan be formulated, she said.

At a June 17 public hearing on Foxview Farm Estates, three main issues arose among the approximately 35 people who attended.

Residents raised concerns about traffic safety, in light of the proposed Holmes Farm Road’s intersection with Hundred Acres Road and Dug Hill Road at a sharp, blind curve on Hundred Acres Road.

Some Hundred Acres Road residents also expressed concerns about potential drainage problems arising from the proposed development.

A large contingent of Maltbie Road area residents said they fear that subdividing and developing Foxview Farm could result in a road linkage connecting Dug Hill Road to the currently dead-ended northerly section of Maltbie Road, resulting in increased traffic and travel safety problems on Maltbie Road.