Sandy Hook Center—

Mixed-Use Betts Square Redevelopment Project Gains Town Approval

By Andrew Gorosko

A local builder/developer has gained Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) approval for Betts Square, a mixed-use redevelopment project that will renovate and expand a circa 1843 house, and add two new buildings to create an office/retail/residential complex at 107 Church Hill Road in Sandy Hook Center.

P&Z members endorsed the project at an October 2 session, listing a series of conditions on the construction approval that was granted to Michael Burton of Sandy Hook, doing business as Pootatuck Rentals, LLC.

Mr Burton said he plans to have initial occupancy at the project by the start of 2009.

Of the project, Elizabeth Stocker, the town’s director of planning and community development, said this week, “I think it’s going to be a nice addition to Sandy Hook Center.” The project creates a needed commercial facility there and also preserves a house that is 165 years old, she said.

The 1.75-acre site abuts the Pootatuck River. There is a replica of the Statue of Liberty in the front yard.

The property lies in the Sandy Hook Design District (SHDD) zone. The P&Z created SHDD zoning for Sandy Hook Center in 1995 to foster mixed-use development and redevelopment, as well as provide pedestrian amenities. SHDD zoning is intended to stimulate economic development.

Workmen are now renovating the house’s interior, reconfiguring the space inside with wallboard partitions, Mr Burton said.

Plans call for expanding the Betts House by extending it to the north, plus constructing two new buildings north of the house. A carriage house and a barnlike structure would be built.

Mr Burton said the overall project would enclose approximately 16,000 square feet of space, including 9,000 square feet of office space, 5,000 square feet of retail area, and about 2,000 square feet of residential space in the form of three apartments.

The existing house contains about 4,600 square feet of space.

The site would be served by two existing driveways and hold parking spaces for 57 vehicles. Bennett Sullivan Associates of Southbury is the architect for the project.

In its approval of the Betts Square project, P&Z members agreed to grant the applicant a special permit because the project is consistent with the 2004 Town Plan of Conservation and Development, it conforms to the requirements of SHDD zoning, and it meets the land use rules covering the Aquifer Protection District (APD).

The P&Z found that the project would have no significant adverse effects on the aquifer. The site is in the APD, an overlay zone situated above the Pootatuck Aquifer in which strict environmental regulations are enforced to protect the underlying aquifer’s water quality.

The P&Z placed ten conditions on its approval of the Betts Square project.

Among them: a garbage/recycling area must be created and enclosed with chain-link fencing; certain aquifer protection policies must be followed on the site to safeguard the water quality of the underlying aquifer which is a public water supply; aquifer protection rules for the site must be posted where they can be read by employees and tenants; the site must be posted with signs prohibiting the dumping of hazardous materials; and storm drain markers must be posted warning against stormwater drain pollution.

Also, the permanent outdoor storage of commercial vehicles and construction equipment on the site is prohibited; the maintenance of commercial vehicles and construction equipment on the site is prohibited; and the applicant must apply to the P&Z for approvals before any commercial signs are posted on the site.

The P&Z’s action on the aquiferous aspects of the application is based on a review by the Inland Wetlands Commission.