The Woods at Newtown —

178-Unit Condo Complex Slated For Hearing

By Andrew Gorosko

At a public hearing scheduled for March 16, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members will field residents’ comments on the proposed construction of 178 age-restricted condominium units at a 50-acre site off Mt Pleasant Road in Hawleyville.

The hearing is slated for 7:30 pm, Thursday, March 16, at the town offices at 31 Peck’s Lane.

Bashert Developers, LLC, of New City in Rockland County, N.Y., is seeking an amendment to an existing special permit to construct 132 units of congregate housing in ten apartment buildings, and 46 independent-living units in eight separate buildings, plus a clubhouse and various site improvements. The project is intended for people over age 55.  

The project, known as The Woods at Newtown, would be the largest age-restricted condo complex to be built locally since the construction of the 189-unit Walnut Tree Village on Walnut Tree Hill Road in Sandy Hook, which was constructed from 1995 to 2005. 

The Conservation Commission, serving as the town’s wetlands protection agency, has approved a wetlands permit for The Woods at Newtown. The site is a depleted sand-and-gravel mine.

Town staff members have been reviewing Bashert’s application to construct the condo complex.

In her review, Elizabeth Stocker, the director of community development, notes a number of flaws in the application.

The design drawings for the complex do not comply with the zoning regulations for multifamily development in EH-10 (Elderly Housing) zones, she notes. Ms Stocker points out various discrepancies involving the independent-living units’ locations for bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and closets. She notes discrepancies in the congregate units involving kitchens and laundry facilities.

Also, the application does not address the need for a generator-based power supply backup system for all elevators on the premises, she notes.

The design requirements for the exteriors of condominium buildings have not been met, she adds.

Also, the application does not provide details concerning a proposed 270-space underground parking garage located near the congregate housing area, she adds.

Ms Stocker recommends that the developer provide additional architectural details to help P&Z members better understand the appearance and functioning of the complex. Also, she asks that the developer provide more details on landscaping.

Ms Stocker also seeks details concerning trash control, storm water control, grading, signage, outdoor lighting, and performance bonding.

In his review of the project, Town Engineer Ronald Bolmer writes that “the private roads do not meet the design criteria for a local residential street.”

Consequently, Mr Bolmer asks that the P&Z provide him with the road design criteria that it endorses, so that he can review the project for its conformity with those criteria.

At a March 7 Police Commission session, commission members, acting as the local traffic authority, reviewed the private road network proposed for The Woods at Newtown. The Police Commission makes traffic recommendations to the P&Z.

Police Commission Chairman Carol Mattegat noted that the proposed private roads on the site are relatively narrow. The roadways should be wider, she said.

“This is a lot of homes being built,” she said, adding that she did not realize the scope of The Woods at Newtown. The project would take three years to construct.

Police Commission members want Bashert representatives to attend a future commission meeting to discuss the traffic safety aspects of the project. 

The Homesteads at Newtown, an existing 100-unit assisted living apartment building, is adjacent to the Bashert site. Design plans for The Woods at Newtown describe a loop road network that would link The Homesteads, and The Woods’ congregate-housing complex, and The Woods’ independent-living complex.

A driveway at 166 Mt Pleasant Road (Route 6), which serves The Homesteads apartment building, also would serve the 178-unit Woods at Newtown. An accessway that links the 50-acre site to Pocono Road would be reserved for emergency use.

In 2001, The Homesteads had received town approvals to build 178 dwellings on the 50-acre site, in the form of 132 congregate units and 46 condos. The Homesteads eventually built 12 age-restricted condos on the property, but they have never been occupied. The condos never received certificates of occupancy due to delinquent property taxes. Bashert would demolish those 12 unoccupied condos as part of its development plans for the site.

After entering bankruptcy, The Homesteads lost its assets. Bashert acquired the largely undeveloped 50-acre site last spring for $8.9 million. A separate firm, Newtown Senior Living, LLC, acquired the existing adjacent Homesteads 100-unit assisted-living building for $11.8 million.

Although Bashert wants to build the same number of dwellings as had been planned by The Homesteads, because Bashert has proposed a different site development plan, it must receive new town approvals for its project.