The Water & Sewer Authority (WSA) has postponed a public hearing on a 74-unit multifamily housing complex proposed for Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook Center, which initially had been scheduled for Wednesday, April 1.

The WSA public hearing on local developer/builder Michael Burton’s request for sanitary sewer service for the project has been rescheduled to 7 pm on Thursday, April 9, at the sewage treatment plant office building at 24 Commerce Road.

Town Director of Public Works Fred Hurley said March 25 that the hearing has been rescheduled to April 9 to allow the applicant time to provide all required technical information to the WSA on the sewering request. The project is known as The River Walk at Sandy Hook Village.

In a related matter, Mr Burton has submitted partial information to the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) in his application to that agency for a wetlands/watercourses protection permit for the project.

IWC members plan to hold a brief special meeting at 8:30 am on Monday, March 30, at Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street, to set a date for an IWC public hearing on the River Walk proposal, according to Steve Maguire, town land use enforcement officer.

The IWC public hearing on the River Walk application may occur in late April.

Besides WSA and IWC approvals, the River Walk project also would need approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) and the Aquifer Protection Agency (APA).

The 11.8-acre site at 10 to 22 Washington Avenue would include an affordable housing component. The applicant is seeking 9,250 gallons of daily wastewater treatment capacity from the WSA for the project.

Mr Burton is proposing the project under the terms of the Incentive Housing-10 Overlay Zone (IH-10), a zoning designation that was recently created by the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z).

In January 2009, Mr Burton gained P&Z approval to construct The River Walk, a proposed 24-unit multifamily complex on 10.2 acres at 12 through 20-A Washington Avenue. The economic downturn, however, prevented that project from being constructed. The earlier proposal was approved under the terms of the Affordable Housing Development (AHD) zoning regulations.

In January 2009, when the earlier River Walk proposal gained P&Z approval, no one attending a lengthy public hearing voiced any opposition to that 24-unit project.