Following discussion at the June 14 session, Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) members approved a wetlands/watercourses protection permit for a Windsor development firm that proposes the construction of a child day care center for up to 210 students at 2 Saw Mill Road in Hawleyville.

Voting to grant the permit to RSD-Newtown, LLC, were IWC Chairman Sharon Salling, Craig Ferris, Michael McCabe, and John Davin. IWC members had discussed the environmental aspects of the application in detail at a May 24 meeting.

Engineer Dainius Virbickas, of Artel Engineering Group, LLC of Brookfield, representing the developer, provided IWC members with a letter explaining that after the project is constructed, the project's owner would submit a snow management plan for the 1.9-acre site to the town for environmental review and approval. Those plans would conform with the Snow and Ice Management Association's environmental standards.

IWC members had requested that the snow control aspects of the project be addressed as a component of project approval.

The environmentally sensitive Pond Brook, a stream that carries water from Taunton Lake to the Housatonic River, crosses the southern section of the development site, and also forms the property's western boundary.

Mr Virbickas told IWC members that a snow storage area would be created on the property to hold snow that is plowed from paved areas.

IWC members placed eight other conditions on the wetlands permit. They include that planned soil erosion and sedimentation controls be installed before construction starts and be maintained during construction; the marked limits of planned physical disturbance at the site must be inspected before construction starts; and the site plans cannot be altered unless formal approval is received; among other conditions.

The site is at the intersection of Mt Pleasant Road, Hawleyville Road, and Saw Mill Road. 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. 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. 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 a two-story structure.

Various underground stormwater control devices would be installed at the site. Extensive planted buffers would be created, especially along Pond Brook. The project would be served by a public water supply, as well as municipal sanitary sewers.

The applicant has submitted plans for the project to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z). A special zoning permit is being sought from the P&Z for the proposed construction in a B-2 (Business) zone.

The P&Z has scheduled a public hearing on the application for 7:30 pm, on Thursday, July 6, at Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street. The owners of 26 properties that lie within 500 feet of the site will be formally notified of that hearing by mail.

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 in at the Land Use Agency at Newtown Municipal Center.