Opposition Expected—

Hearing Slated For Condo Complex Zone Change Request

By Andrew Gorosko

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) has scheduled a public hearing for Thursday, November 3, on a developer’s request for a change of zone, which is a preliminary step in seeking to build to a 56-unit age-restricted condominium complex at the site of a vacant former private drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Sandy Hook.

The public hearing is slated for 7:30 pm at the town offices at 31 Peck’s Lane.

Applicant Jack Dweck of New York City, doing business as Pine Crest Estates, Inc, is seeking a change of zone from R-2 (Residential) to EH-10 (Elderly Housing) for a 20-acre property at 32 Alberts Hill Road, which formerly held The Cornerstone of Eagle Hill treatment center. The applicant owns the site.

The site’s current R-2 zoning is intended for single-family houses on building lots of at least two acres. EH-10 zoning is intended for high-density, multifamily housing for people over age 55.

Resident Morgen McLaughlin of Alberts Hill Road said that a group of nearby residents plans to oppose the zone change proposal because constructing 56 condos on the site represents too much development on the 20-acre property.

The site has been vacant for several years. The treatment facility closed after a series of regulatory issues and patient emergencies hindered its operation.

Besides a change of zone, the developer also would need a special exception to the zoning regulations to create the condo complex. P.W. Scott Engineering & Architecture of Brewster, N.Y., represents the applicant.

In a memorandum to the P&Z, Conservation Official Rob Sibley recommends against converting the site’s zoning designation from R-2 to EH-10. If the site is to be developed, it should be developed under the rules specified by R-2 zoning, according to Mr Sibley.

A traffic study prepared for the applicant by Frederick P. Clark Associates, Inc, of Fairfield states that the redeveloped site would generate an estimated 15 vehicle trips during the morning peak traffic-flow hour, and would generate an estimated 20 vehicle trips during the evening peak traffic-flow hour. “This level of additional traffic on area roadways surrounding Alberts Hill Road will be insignificant and result in no need for mitigation to area roadways or traffic control,” according to the report.

The site would hold eight acres of open space, according to the development application. The site is located on the north side of Alberts Hill Road, about one-quarter mile west of its intersection with Walnut Tree Hill Road. The site is bordered by McLaughlin Vineyards and by individual residential lots.

The developer proposes a combination of new construction and the conversion of existing buildings to create a condo complex.

In 2003, Lutheran General Behavioral Health Corporation of Oak Brook, Ill., sold The Cornerstone at Eagle Hill property to Pine Crest Estates, Inc, for $1.375 million.