Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are reviewing a range of concerns from residents who attended a November 20 public hearing on The Preserve at Newtown, a 23-lot residential subdivision proposed for Dodgingtown.

Those concerns include the potential for damage to existing domestic well-water supplies, increased traffic flow, and high construction densities.

The developers propose two clusters of single-family houses on the 167-acre site, where about half of the acreage would be designated as “open space” for passive forms of recreation under the provisions of the town’s “open space conservation subdivision” (OSCS) regulations. Such development also is known as “cluster housing.”

The Preserve is the first subdivision proposal submitted to the P&Z under the terms of the OSCS rules, a set of zoning/planning regulations that the P&Z created in 2004 as an alternative to conventional large-lot subdivision development and intended as a way to curb “suburban sprawl” in subdivision development.

One housing cluster would be located along the southeast side of Robin Hill Road #2, which is a dead-end street extending northeastward from Rock Ridge Road, near Rock Ridge Country Club. The other housing cluster would be built along a proposed quarter-mile dead-end street extending southeastward from Scudder Road, south of Ferris Road.

The project is proposed by developers KASL, LLC, and IBF, LLC. The firms are represented by local developer/builder George L. Trudell, II.

The Preserve proposal gained a wetlands/watercourses protection permit from the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) on November 12.

“We all have walked this piece of property,” said P&Z Chairman Robert Mulholland of the agency members’ tours of the site to familiarize themselves with the terrain.

The P&Z created the OSCS regulations to conserve as much open space as possible when subdivision growth occurs, he said, adding that the proposal would include a “tremendous amount of open space.”

The OSCS rules require that at least 50 percent of a site be preserved as open space.

Mr Trudell told P&Z members that the 167-acre site is the “perfect location” for OSCS development. The project’s design reflects the town’s vision regarding open space preservation, he said.

After learning of nearby property owners’ concerns about the construction proposal, the developers had a hydrogeological report and a traffic report prepared to address those concerns, he said. The land use regulations do not require such reports for the application, Mr Trudell noted.

Engineer Daniel Kroeber of Milone and MacBroom, Inc, representing the developers, described in detail the proposed development configuration.

Nine house lots would be created along Robin Hill Road #2; 13 lots would be positioned along the proposed new Deer Hill Drive, off Scudder Road, and one lot would be located on Robin Hill Road #1, which extends from Sugar Street (Route 302).

Robin Hill Road #2 would be widened and an 80-foot-diameter turnaround area would be constructed at the end of that street, he said.

Mr Mulholland urged that trees be preserved at the site. “There are some gorgeous trees,” he said.

“We feel that trees are an asset,” responded Mr Trudell, adding the developers would seek to preserve trees, especially specimen-grade trees.

Mr Mulholland urged that the developers clearly field-mark the locations of all driveways proposed for the site. P&Z members have walked the site and found it difficult to envision the appearance of the development without such field markings present, he said.

Also, open space areas must be clearly field-marked, Mr Mulholland said.

Agents for the developers acknowledge that the domestic water-well yields are variable in the area near the proposed subdivision, based upon the specific locations of those wells. Those wells are drilled into a bedrock aquifer.

There is an adequate underground water supply in the area to support the new wells that would be drilled for the residents of the Preserve subdivision, Mr Trudell said, adding, “There’s sufficient water.”

If existing wells have low yields, there are methods to increase those yields, he said.

Mr Kroeber said, “It’s quite possible we’ll have to blast” in constructing the subdivision.

The developers would be liable for any damage done to nearby property owners’ wells during the construction phase of the project, Mr Mulholland said.

If blasting occurs, it is the developers’ responsibility to protect nearby existing wells, Mr Mulholland said.

Public Comments

About 35 people attended the P&Z public hearing on the Preserve proposal.

Dorothy McCarthy of 24 Rock Ridge Road told P&Z members that there have been water shortages in her neighborhood due to water-well issues.

“I do hope somebody tries to protect us…This is our lives…This is very important to us,” she said, adding that residents’ homes are their major investments.

Ms McCarthy told P&Z members she fears that new development will translate into water problems in her neighborhood.

Eugene Eames of 10 Ferris Road read a detailed letter to P&Z members listing his many concerns about and objections to the development proposal.

The project would be detrimental to his family and damage the local quality of life, he said. A relatively high construction density along the proposed Deer Hill Drive near his home would create problems, he said.

Mr Eames said he expected that any residential development in the area would be spread out across the terrain, not concentrated. He said he expected that the zoning regulations would protect him.

As proposed, the OSCS development design would not benefit his family, but would create risk for the family and negative effects, he said.

The design would result in many water wells and septic systems being constructed relatively close to one another, he said.

“This project has been thrust on us,” Mr Eames stressed.

 Area property values would drop when trees are felled and the high construction density of the project becomes apparent, he said.

 The area is known for its water supply problems, Mr Eames said, adding that people living in the area fear that their water supplies would be damaged as result of residential growth.

During construction, the local quality of life would be damaged by construction noise and blasting, he said, adding that area aesthetics will be damaged.

Added traffic in the area will have negative effects, Mr Eames predicted, questioning the value of the traffic report submitted by the developers.

Many construction vehicles will travel through the area when the subdivision is being built, he said. He urged the P&Z to consider the adverse effects that the Preserve would have on the surrounding residential area.

Mr Eames’ comments drew applause from the audience.

Joanne Sherwood of 58 Robin Hill Road #2 told P&Z members that after the project is built, life for her would change for the worse.

“It’s just going to totally change our life…It’s totally going to change,” she said.

The presence of a parking area at the end of Robin Hill Road #2, which would be designated for open-space users, would bring strangers to the neighborhood, she said.

Ms Sherwood’s house is located on the northwest side of Robin Hill Road #2. It is one of several houses on that side of the street.

Currently, there is an undeveloped, wooded area across the street. The construction plans call for nine houses to be built there.

Laura Terry, who lives at 64 Robin Hill Road #2, told P&Z members that the presence of new homes would damage the quality of her neighborhood.

As many trees as possible should be preserved, she said. She added she is concerned about vehicles parking at the proposed turnaround area at the end of the road, noting that many children live in the neighborhood. Traffic will increase, she noted.

Robert Zupcoe of 5 Ferris Road said that about half of the people in the audience at the November 20 public hearing have had problem with their water wells, in stressing residents’ concerns about potential additional water problems.

If the subdivision is built, many water problems would occur at nearby properties, Mr Zupcoe predicted.

Also, the traffic study provided by the developer is incomplete, Mr Zupcoe said.

The P&Z’s public hearing on The Preserve at Newtown is scheduled to resume on December 18.

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are reviewing a range of concerns from residents who attended a November 20 public hearing on The Preserve at Newtown, a 23-lot residential subdivision proposed for Dodgingtown.

Those concerns include the potential for damage to existing domestic well-water supplies, increased traffic flow, and high construction densities.

The developers propose two clusters of single-family houses on the 167-acre site, where about half of the acreage would be designated as “open space” for passive forms of recreation under the provisions of the town’s “open space conservation subdivision” (OSCS) regulations. Such development also is known as “cluster housing.”

The Preserve is the first subdivision proposal submitted to the P&Z under the terms of the OSCS rules, a set of zoning/planning regulations that the P&Z created in 2004 as an alternative to conventional large-lot subdivision development and intended as a way to curb “suburban sprawl” in subdivision development.

One housing cluster would be located along the southeast side of Robin Hill Road #2, which is a dead-end street extending northeastward from Rock Ridge Road, near Rock Ridge Country Club. The other housing cluster would be built along a proposed quarter-mile dead-end street extending southeastward from Scudder Road, south of Ferris Road.

The project is proposed by developers KASL, LLC, and IBF, LLC. The firms are represented by local developer/builder George L. Trudell, II.

The Preserve proposal gained a wetlands/watercourses protection permit from the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) on November 12.

“We all have walked this piece of property,” said P&Z Chairman Robert Mulholland of the agency members’ tours of the site to familiarize themselves with the terrain.

The P&Z created the OSCS regulations to conserve as much open space as possible when subdivision growth occurs, he said, adding that the proposal would include a “tremendous amount of open space.”

The OSCS rules require that at least 50 percent of a site be preserved as open space.

Mr Trudell told P&Z members that the 167-acre site is the “perfect location” for OSCS development. The project’s design reflects the town’s vision regarding open space preservation, he said.

After learning of nearby property owners’ concerns about the construction proposal, the developers had a hydrogeological report and a traffic report prepared to address those concerns, he said. The land use regulations do not require such reports for the application, Mr Trudell noted.

Engineer Daniel Kroeber of Milone and MacBroom, Inc, representing the developers, described in detail the proposed development configuration.

Nine house lots would be created along Robin Hill Road #2; 13 lots would be positioned along the proposed new Deer Hill Drive, off Scudder Road, and one lot would be located on Robin Hill Road #1, which extends from Sugar Street (Route 302).

Robin Hill Road #2 would be widened and an 80-foot-diameter turnaround area would be constructed at the end of that street, he said.

Mr Mulholland urged that trees be preserved at the site. “There are some gorgeous trees,” he said.

“We feel that trees are an asset,” responded Mr Trudell, adding the developers would seek to preserve trees, especially specimen-grade trees.

Mr Mulholland urged that the developers clearly field-mark the locations of all driveways proposed for the site. P&Z members have walked the site and found it difficult to envision the appearance of the development without such field markings present, he said.

Also, open space areas must be clearly field-marked, Mr Mulholland said.

Agents for the developers acknowledge that the domestic water-well yields are variable in the area near the proposed subdivision, based upon the specific locations of those wells. Those wells are drilled into a bedrock aquifer.

There is an adequate underground water supply in the area to support the new wells that would be drilled for the residents of the Preserve subdivision, Mr Trudell said, adding, “There’s sufficient water.”

If existing wells have low yields, there are methods to increase those yields, he said.

Mr Kroeber said, “It’s quite possible we’ll have to blast” in constructing the subdivision.

The developers would be liable for any damage done to nearby property owners’ wells during the construction phase of the project, Mr Mulholland said.

If blasting occurs, it is the developers’ responsibility to protect nearby existing wells, Mr Mulholland said.

Public Comments

About 35 people attended the P&Z public hearing on the Preserve proposal.

Dorothy McCarthy of 24 Rock Ridge Road told P&Z members that there have been water shortages in her neighborhood due to water-well issues.

“I do hope somebody tries to protect us…This is our lives…This is very important to us,” she said, adding that residents’ homes are their major investments.

Ms McCarthy told P&Z members she fears that new development will translate into water problems in her neighborhood.

Eugene Eames of 10 Ferris Road read a detailed letter to P&Z members listing his many concerns about and objections to the development proposal.

The project would be detrimental to his family and damage the local quality of life, he said. A relatively high construction density along the proposed Deer Hill Drive near his home would create problems, he said.

Mr Eames said he expected that any residential development in the area would be spread out across the terrain, not concentrated. He said he expected that the zoning regulations would protect him.

As proposed, the OSCS development design would not benefit his family, but would create risk for the family and negative effects, he said.

The design would result in many water wells and septic systems being constructed relatively close to one another, he said.

“This project has been thrust on us,” Mr Eames stressed.

 Area property values would drop when trees are felled and the high construction density of the project becomes apparent, he said.

 The area is known for its water supply problems, Mr Eames said, adding that people living in the area fear that their water supplies would be damaged as result of residential growth.

During construction, the local quality of life would be damaged by construction noise and blasting, he said, adding that area aesthetics will be damaged.

Added traffic in the area will have negative effects, Mr Eames predicted, questioning the value of the traffic report submitted by the developers.

Many construction vehicles will travel through the area when the subdivision is being built, he said. He urged the P&Z to consider the adverse effects that the Preserve would have on the surrounding residential area.

Mr Eames’ comments drew applause from the audience.

Joanne Sherwood of 58 Robin Hill Road #2 told P&Z members that after the project is built, life for her would change for the worse.

“It’s just going to totally change our life…It’s totally going to change,” she said.

The presence of a parking area at the end of Robin Hill Road #2, which would be designated for open-space users, would bring strangers to the neighborhood, she said.

Ms Sherwood’s house is located on the northwest side of Robin Hill Road #2. It is one of several houses on that side of the street.

Currently, there is an undeveloped, wooded area across the street. The construction plans call for nine houses to be built there.

Laura Terry, who lives at 64 Robin Hill Road #2, told P&Z members that the presence of new homes would damage the quality of her neighborhood.

As many trees as possible should be preserved, she said. She added she is concerned about vehicles parking at the proposed turnaround area at the end of the road, noting that many children live in the neighborhood. Traffic will increase, she noted.

Robert Zupcoe of 5 Ferris Road said that about half of the people in the audience at the November 20 public hearing have had problem with their water wells, in stressing residents’ concerns about potential additional water problems.

If the subdivision is built, many water problems would occur at nearby properties, Mr Zupcoe predicted.

Also, the traffic study provided by the developer is incomplete, Mr Zupcoe said.

The P&Z’s public hearing on The Preserve at Newtown is scheduled to resume on December 18.