Subdivision Off Butterfield Road Is Approved

By Andrew Gorosko

After making a design change, the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) has approved Butternut Ridge, a 12-lot residential subdivision on 56 acres off Butterfield Road.

Since it was first proposed in May 1999, the project has attracted criticism from nearby residents who have charged that building the development in an area with extensive wetlands would have environmental consequences. The development site lies across Butterfield Road from the Autumn Ridge subdivision. The Algonquin and Iroquois natural gas transmission pipelines run through the development site. Raymond-Anderson Properties, LLC, is the applicant.

P&Z members approved the development October 5 in a 4-to-1 vote, with member Robert Taylor dissenting.

In reviewing the development proposal October 5, the P&Z initially found fault with the plans.

P&Z Chairman Daniel Fogliano pointed out that a 13-lot version of Butternut Ridge contained a proposed lot split by a zone boundary, resulting in one section of the proposed lot being in a 3-acre zone and another section of the lot lying in a 2-acre zone.

“This application is flawed,” he said in pointing out the discrepancy and registering his opposition to the project. “I am not for this [development proposal] at this point,” he said.

Mr Fogliano said the proposed Lot 4 in the development did not meet the P&Z’s minimum acreage requirement and did not comply with the P&Z’s requirement for the “minimum square,” a planning device used to indicate a position on a lot where a house could be constructed.

Mr Fogliano also noted the applicant planned to have a drainage easement in an open space area, an arrangement which the P&Z seeks to avoid.

To resolve the P&Z’s concerns about the 13-lot version of Butternut Ridge, attorney William Denlinger, representing the applicant, suggested that the proposed Lots 3 and 4 on the site be combined into one lot.

The applicant has been working to develop the property for a long time and would allow the two lots to be combined into one lot to get a subdivision approval, according to the attorney.

When initially submitted to the town in May 1999, Butternut Ridge was a 16-lot proposal.

In approving Butternut Ridge October 5, the P&Z placed several conditions on the development.

The applicant is required to post a $437,900 performance bond. The bond is intended to ensure: the construction of a dead-end road to serve houses in the development; the installation of two underground water storage tanks for firefighting; the construction a common driveway; and the installation of building lot markers.

Also, the developer must clear bridle path/pedestrian trails on the site, add mulch to the trails, and permanently mark the trails. The trail easements will be recorded in the land records.

Commenting on the complexity of getting the project approved, Mr Fogliano said the applicants sought to develop a difficult piece of land and had encountered concerns from nearby property owners.

The applicants have addressed the various issues raised about the development to the best of their abilities, Mr Fogliano said.

Mr Fogliano said the version of project that was approved by the P&Z is likely the best development plan that the town would see for the site.

Late last year, the Conservation Commission rejected a wetlands construction license for Butternut Ridge.

The developer submitted a revised wetlands construction plan, which was later approved by the Conservation Commission. The revised subdivision design reduced the development’s adverse effects on wetlands and watercourses.

Butternut Ridge is in an area of town which had been largely undeveloped, but has experienced growth during the past several years, including subdivisions such as Hedge Meadow, Butterfield Woods, Autumn Ridge, Arrowhead Hills, Daniels Hill Estates, and Newtown Hunt.