The Aquifer Protection Agency (APA) this week endorsed an aquifer protection planning report for the 74-unit River Walk at Sandy Hook Village condominium complex, which is proposed for the west side of Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook Center.

At a special meeting on the morning of July 28, the five APA members who were present unanimously decided that the project proposed for an 11.8-acre site at #10 through #22 Washington Avenue would have no significant adverse effects on the underlying Pootatuck Aquifer.

Consequently, the panel issued what is known as a FONSI statement, or a “finding of no significant impact.”

That statement will be forwarded to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) for action. The P&Z   is scheduled to resume its public hearing on the River Walk proposal at 7:30 pm on Thursday, August 6, at Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street.

Applicant Michael Burton of Sandy Hook, doing business as River Walk Properties, LLC, is seeking a special permit for the project under the terms of the Incentive Housing-10 (IH-10) zoning regulations, which the P& Z created in January. The IH-10 rules require that at least 20 percent of the dwellings in such a multifamily complex be designated as affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families.

At the first P&Z public hearing on River Walk, which was held on July 9, the proposal drew both criticism and support.

Critics charged that the presence of the housing complex would worsen existing traffic problems in Sandy Hook Center. They also claimed that the proposed condo project would be too big for its setting and urged that the number of proposed dwellings be reduced.

Supporters of the project, who largely are from the business community, spoke in favor of River Walk, saying the presence of its residents in Sandy Hook Center would be an economic stimulus for businesses there. The Economic Development Commission has endorsed the project.

The proposed 74-unit complex would contain 150 bedrooms overall, of which 60 apartments would have two bedrooms, eight dwellings would have three bedrooms, and six units would have one bedroom.

APA Endorsement

At their July 28 session, which lasted five minutes, APA members agreed that the aquifer protection application for River Walk is complete and meets applicable environmental protection standards.

The site lies in the Aquifer Protection District (APD), an overlay zone where special environmental protection rules are in effect to protect the Pootatuck Aquifer, which is the town’s designated sole source aquifer. The stratified-drift aquifer is the source of two public water supplies and hundreds of domestic well water supplies.

R. G. Slayback of Leggette, Brashears, and Graham, Inc, of Shelton prepared an aquifer protection report for Mr Burton.

In a recent letter to the P&Z, Mr Slayback wrote, in part, “If the proposed development is built in accordance with [its engineering] plans…it will meet the letter and intent of the Newtown aquifer protection district.”  The Shelton firm Nowakowski, O’Bymachow, Kane & Associates, an engineering/surveying company, did the land engineering on the River Walk application.

In 2009, Mr Burton gained P&Z approval to build a 24-unit multifamily complex at the same site, but the project was never built due to the economic downturn.

The River Walk development application to the P&Z is on file for public review at the Land Use Agency offices at Newtown Municipal Center.