Date: Fri 23-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Taunton-Hill-Wedgewood

Full Text:

Taunton Hill Residents Rally Against Wedgewood Development

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

Taunton Hill residents living in the area proposed for the 15-lot Wedgewood

residential subdivision have told Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members

they strongly oppose the development because it would overcrowd the area,

jeopardize existing well water supplies, cause drainage problems, and create

added traffic hazards.

The site proposed for development is on the east side of Taunton Hill Road,

just west of Cannon Drive. Cannon Drive is a dead end street that extends

westward from Birch Hill Road toward Taunton Hill Road.

Joseph Kelly of Taunton Hill Road, representing the Taunton/Dodgingtown

Neighborhood Association, told P&Z members at an August 15 public hearing

Taunton Hill Road is a scenic road but also a dangerous, narrow, hilly street

with blind curves. Mr Kelly lives next to the site proposed for development.

"It's a back country road that's used as a major thoroughfare," he said,

adding that motorists don't adhere to the 25 mph speed limit. He argued that

the road is too dangerous for pedestrian use.

Three developments planned for the area would add about 40 houses, according

to Mr Kelly. "Adding new traffic to this road," he said, "will only make a bad

situation worse." He called for a traffic study to gauge Wedgewood's impact on

Taunton Hill Road.

M&E Land Group, the applicant for Wedgewood, has proposed building an

1,800-foot-long dead-end road, Wedgewood Court, off Taunton Hill Road, to

serve Wedgewood. Wedgewood Court would extend toward Cannon Drive.

Concerns About Water Supply

Area residents are concerned about the effect that water runoff from a new

subdivision would have on existing water wells and septic systems in the area.

Only half of the land on the 27-acre parcel is suitable for development, said

Mr Kelly in urging P&Z members to inspect the site proposed for development

before ruling on the application. He asked that the M&E Land Group withdraw

its development proposal and resubmit it to the P&Z with half the number of

lots they now propose. If such a withdrawal and resubmission isn't made, the

P&Z should then reject the application, he said.

Potential problems with existing wells and septic systems in the area stemming

from new subdivision construction must be considered when the proposal is

reviewed, Mr Kelly said.

At the neighborhood association's request, P&Z Chairman Stephen Adams granted

it "intervenor status" in the land use review process. As an intervenor, the

association can automatically review all documents submitted on the

development proposal.

Rosemarie Gollenberg of Taunton Hill Road charged that Conservation Commission

members weren't doing their job properly when they reviewed the construction

proposal and then granted a wetlands construction permit for the property. The

town needs to develop new land use standards, she said.

The proliferation of residential subdivisions will result in the need for

firefighting services financed by the town government, she warned.

"I think we have to slow down...You are the stewards of the lands of

Newtown... I strongly urge you to deny this application," she told P&Z

members.

Zelda Schwartz of Taunton Hill Road said having a school bus stop near the

intersection of Taunton Hill Road and the proposed Wedgewood Court would be

dangerous because of the topography there.

Ms Schwartz wanted to know where residents could bring their concerns if

problems arise after the development is complete. "It looks wonderful on

paper. It doesn't always work in reality," she said.

The developers should reduce the number of houses in the project to cut its

construction density, she said.

Zack Taylor of Cannon Drive said area residents need time to study the effects

that new construction could have on existing water wells. "I have real

concerns about our water," he said.

People on the nearby Cannon Drive are very concerned that their wells will be

damaged by new development in the area, he said. "We have severe (water

supply) problems on Cannon Drive and I think they need to be addressed."

"If a developer causes my well to go dry, the least he can do is pound me a

new well," he said.

Mitch Marsico of Cannon Drive, who has lived there for two months, said the

construction plans call for two new houses being built alongside his house.

What recourse do homeowners have if problems arise after the developers leave

the construction area, he asked.

"If this town is like a family, you, ladies and gentlemen, are our guardians,"

he told P&Z members.

Barbara Obeda, of EIS, Inc, a Brookfield environmental consulting service,

represented Taunton Hill area homeowners who are upset by the development

project.

"This is an environmental disaster," she said of M&E Land Group's plans for

the property. She urged that only a minimal number of trees be cut down on the

site. She submitted an environmental report on the development for review by

P&Z members. Ms Obeda, a geologist, urged P&Z members to visit the site and

closely study conditions in the area where the proposed new road would end. Ms

Obeda expressed concerns that the development plan would result in new septic

systems polluting area groundwater.

Ms Obeda urged that the P&Z reject the application because, she said, it is

incomplete and because some septic systems on the site won't work function

properly.

Ron Kalb of Taunton Hill Road said the proposed development places as many

houses on the site as possible in an effort to make as much money as possible.

"This is an abberation. It's very unnatural," he said.

Construction Proposal

In presenting the development proposal to the P&Z, Attorney Robert Hall,

representing M&E Land Group, said "You're governed by the regulations. If the

application meets the regulations, then the commission is supposed to approve

it."

The applicant has sought to meet with adjacent property owners to discuss

their concerns, he said.

Mr Hall objected to an anonymous flyer criticizing the development proposal

that was distributed to Taunton Hill area residents. Mr Hall said he wants to

know who prepared the flyer.

Larry Edwards, a partner in M&E and a land engineer, presented technical

aspects of the project.

Mr Edwards said "We feel there is adequate protection to surrounding

neighbors." The developers are seeking to keep the new houses away from

property lines, he said.

The intersection that would be created on Taunton Hill Road by building

Wedgewood Court would be located on the crest of a hill and have adequate

motorist sight lines, he said.

The proposed new road on the development site would follow the contours of the

land and would require relatively little cutting and filling for its

construction, according to Mr Edwards.

The property would have two storm water detention basins, one near the

intersection, and the other near the dead end street's turnaround, he said.

Russell Slayback, a geologist representing the developers, prepared a water

supply feasibility study on the land. The land beneath the area doesn't hold a

particularly good aquifer, he cautioned.

Mr Slayback said he reviewed 91 water well records from the area in developing

the report. Wells in the area range from 95 to 985 feet deep, he said. The

average well depth is 326 feet. On average, the wells yields four gallons of

water per minute. The range of well yield is a half gallon per minute to 20

gallons per minute, he said.

Mr Slayback said a conservative estimate indicates that when the proposed

subdivision is fully occupied, its residents would use 6,750 gallons of water

daily. In that area, an estimated 14,000 gallons of water goes into the ground

daily, he added.

The planned distances between new wells and existing wells would mean the new

wells would have no direct impact on existing wells, he said, adding that new

wells drilled at the proposed Wedgewood subdivision may need to be

hydrofractured to produce adequate water yields.

"There are (existing) inadequate wells and inadequate wells do fail during

drought periods," he noted. Existing wells in the area may need to be

hydrofractured, deepened, or redrilled to provide adequate water yields,

according to the geologist.

Hydrofracturing, more commonly known as hydrofrac, involves fracturing

underground rock alongside a well to open fissures in that rock to increase

the well's water yield.