164 Units Overall—

Developer Proposes Two Age-Restricted Condo Complexes

By Andrew Gorosko

A development firm is proposing the construction of two separate age-restricted condominium complexes in Sandy Hook – one on Walnut Tree Hill Road, near the westbound lanes of Interstate 84, and the other on Oakview Road, near I-84’s eastbound lanes.

Toll Brothers, Inc, is proposing the construction of 104 condos for people over age 55 on a 35-acre site in the area lying between Walnut Tree Hill Road and westbound I-84, near Exit 10. The property has a street address of 79 Church Hill Road.

The firm also proposes constructing 60 condos for people over age 55 on a 52-acre site off Oakview Road, near eastbound I-84 and Newtown High School.

Last April, the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) turned down Toll Brothers’ request for a zone change for 21-23 Oakview Road from its current R-2 (Residential) zoning designation to EH-10 (Elderly Housing) zoning in connection with the firm’s proposal to build 80 condos there. The current plan for that site cuts the number of units proposed for the site by 25 percent, from 80 units to 60 units.

P&Z members cited the heavy traffic burden that the narrow Oakview Road would bear as the prime reason in rejecting the zone change. The development proposal had drawn strong opposition from Oakview Road residents, who objected to the traffic effects of the project. 

Toll Brothers representatives presented the basics of the two condo projects to the Economic Development Commission (EDC) on September 21 in seeking EDC endorsements for the two projects.

The seven EDC members present discussed the two multifamily housing proposals at length, but did not decide whether to endorse the development applications as forms of economic development, said EDC Chairman Chet Hopper.

The EDC will again discuss the advisability of endorsing the construction proposals when it meets on October 19, he said.

Earlier this year, the EDC had endorsed the 80-unit condo complex that Toll Brothers had proposed for Oakview Road. Some EDC members now, however, have diverging views on whether the EDC should specifically formally endorse such multifamily housing proposals as forms of economic development, Mr Hopper said.

Walnut Tree Hill Road

In seeking to develop the 35-acre site at 79 Church Hill Road with 104 age-restricted condos, the developer would need to change the zoning designations for the property from the current R-1 and R-2 residential to EH-10 zoning, which allows for high-density, multifamily age-restricted housing.

Most of the 35-acre site has R-1 zoning, with a strip of the parcel along Walnut Tree Hill Road having R-2 zoning. R-1 zoning allows construction of single-family houses on lots of at least one acre. R-2 zoning requires minimum two-acre lot sizes for single-family houses.

The P&Z has scheduled a public hearing on Toll Brothers’ zone change request for December 2. If the zone change is granted, the developer would need several others approvals from the P&Z and the Conservation Commission, acting as the town’s wetlands agency. A small section of the site lies within the town’s Aquifer Protection District (APD).

Although the site has a small amount of road frontage on Church Hill Road, vehicle access to the property would be provided via driveways extending from Walnut Tree Hill Road. The 104 units would be contained in approximately 14 buildings. The site is primarily wooded. It is currently vacant, except for one house.

The opposite side of Walnut Tree Hill Road holds Walnut Tree Village, a 189-unit age-restricted condo complex, which is in its final construction stages.

Carmine Renzulli of Norwalk owns the site that Toll Brothers wants to develop. The property extends northward along Walnut Tree Hill Road from Church Hill Road to the back yards of properties on the south side of Evergreen Road. A high-pressure natural gas transmission pipeline crosses the site.

The condo complex would be served by an on-site septic waste disposal system, according to attorney Robert Hall, who represents the developer. United Water would provide a public water supply to the complex. A traffic study on the transportation aspects of the development proposal will be performed.

Mr Hall told EDC members that a 104-unit condo complex would amount to a form of economic development for the town because the condo residents would not have school-age children requiring public education, but would pay property taxes to the town.

Mr Hall said it would be best to locate driveways leading to the complex near the southerly end of Walnut Tree Hill Road to minimize the traffic effect on that street.

The lawyer said it is unclear if a new traffic signal would be necessary at the intersection of Walnut Tree Hill Road and Church Hill Road to handle the additional traffic generated by the proposed condo complex.

Toll Brothers project manager Daniel Walton said, “We think it’s a win-win for the town and Toll Brothers.” The luxury-grade units that the firm would build would be similar to the age-restricted condos now under construction by Ginsburg Development Corporation at its Liberty at Newtown on Mt Pleasant Road in Hawleyville, he said.

Of Toll Brothers’ two proposed condo complexes, Mr Walton said, “There is demand for it.”

The Walnut Tree Hill Road development application lists 93 property owners who have holdings within 500 feet of the site. Those property owners would be formally notified of the December 2 P&Z public hearing on the requested zone change.

Oakview Road

The P&Z is scheduled to conduct a public hearing on November 18 on Toll Brothers’ proposal to change the zoning designation of 52 acres at 21-23 Oakview Road from R-2 to EH-10. Such a zone change would be a preliminary step in developing that site with 60 age-restricted condos.

The site overlooks the floodplain of the Pootatuck River and the eastbound lanes of Interstate 84.

A redesigned development plan would strongly encourage the residents of a 60-unit condo complex to use the intersection of Oakview Road and Berkshire Road for traveling to and from the complex, rather than using the intersection of Oakview Road and Wasserman Way, according to Mr Hall.

Although the P&Z turned down Toll Brothers’ requested zone change for the Oakview Road property last April, some members encouraged the developer the return to the agency with reworked plans that would minimize the project’s traffic impact on Oakview Road.

It would not be practical to convert Oakview Road into a one-way street, Mr Hall said.

Toll Brothers has had a new traffic study for the project prepared, which will be submitted for P&Z review. The project would be served by public sewers and by a public water supply.

Mr Hall said Toll Brothers would seek to convince the P&Z to rewrite the zoning regulations to allow dwellings that contain living space on two stories at an Oakview Road complex. The zoning rules currently require age-restricted housing to have all living space on one level.

Toll Brothers’ proposal would involve building a complex architecturally similar to its Regency Meadows at Trumbull on Route 25 in Trumbull. The firm would need to modify the town’s architectural zoning regulations to build such a project. The proposed luxury-grade units would have starting prices at approximately $425,000.

The Oakview Road development application lists 19 property owners who own real estate within 500 feet of the development site, who would be notified of the November 18 hearing on Toll Brothers’ zone change request.