Subdivision Approved Off Taunton Hill Road

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members have approved the Boulder Creek residential subdivision, an 8-lot development on 22 acres off Taunton Hill Road in Dodgingtown.

P&Z members unanimously endorsed Boulder Creek September 7 after a brief discussion.

Developer Michael Zeerip plans to build a new 1,200-foot-long dead-end road off the west side of Taunton Hill Road to provide access to the site, which is bordered by Shelley Road on the west. The new road will meet Taunton Hill Road in the area where Northeast Utilities’ high-tension electrical lines cross Taunton Hill Road.

Seven new houses will be built and one existing house will remain. The development will contain about 4.5 acres of open space for passive recreation.

P&Z Chairman Daniel Fogliano told P&Z members he does not favor the retaining walls planned for the project, but pointed out that the subdivision meets the P&Z’s regulations on earthen cutting and filling on building lots.

The presence of retaining walls in Boulder Creek is a byproduct of the P&Z’s recently revised development regulations which strictly limit the amount of cutting and filling which can be done to create building lots.

Engineer Larry Edwards, representing the developer, explained to P&Z members at a June public hearing that the construction plans meet the P&Z’s revised limits on cutting and filling, but noted that the construction of retaining walls is needed to meet those requirements. Retaining walls are planned for both sides of the new road to get that road into the site from Taunton Hill Road.

The P&Z had revised its cutting and filling regulations to prevent developers from making major changes to the local topography in creating subdivisions. But to meet those stricter requirements, developers are now proposing retaining walls in some subdivisions.

Mr Fogliano said he does not like the design of Boulder Creek, but added the development plans meet applicable regulations.

“I think it’s the best [development] that can be done with this property,” said P&Z member Heidi Winslow, noting that the plans meet the regulations.

Town Engineer Ronald Bolmer has questioned the wisdom of allowing retaining walls in new subdivisions, saying such structures will pose long-term maintenance issues for the town, which will own those retaining walls.

Conditions

In approving Boulder Creek, the P&Z set several conditions on its construction.

The P&Z is requiring the developer to post a $279,300 performance bond to guarantee the construction of the subdivision road, the installation of an underground water storage tank for firefighting, the placement of building lot pins, and the completion of road work to improve motorist sight lines at the intersection of the new subdivision road and Taunton Hill Road.

Also, the P&Z is requiring the developer to provide plans on how erosion and sedimentation will be controlled during road construction.

The P&Z also is requiring the developer to submit grading plans for review by the town engineer, if the developer obtains slope easements from adjacent property owners.

Also, the developer must have an engineer design the retaining walls for the project. Those retaining wall designs will be subject to review by the town engineer.

The P&Z also specifies details concerning the refilling of trenches, the placement of stormwater drainage catch basins, and road construction.

In July, in a move to enhance traffic safety, the P&Z asked Mr Zeerip to work out an agreement with the town through which motorists’ sight lines at the intersection of Taunton Hill Road and the proposed subdivision road would be improved.

At a June public hearing on the development proposal, many nearby residents pointed out that sight lines along the narrow, winding Taunton Hill Road are limited. Building a new road extending off Taunton Hill Road would create a spot with turning traffic where there are strictly limited sight lines, they cautioned. The presence of a new subdivision would add more traffic to an already hazardous Taunton Hill Road, according to the residents.

Mr Zeerip initially had proposed clearing away some brush from the intersection of the new road and Taunton Hill Road to improve sight lines.

The road work agreement that he reached with the town requires that some regrading also be done to improve sight lines.