Following discussion at July 20 public hearing, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members unanimously approved Turkey Ridge, a controversial planned 11-lot residential subdivision at a 28.5-acre site on the northern corner of Toddy Hill Road and Turkey Roost Road (see Google Map, above).

The P&Z's approval followed a series of responses made by the applicant's civil engineer to the many technical criticisms of the project lodged recently by a civil engineer, who had been hired by a group of nearby residents opposed to the subdivision proposal.

The project's applicant is the Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocesan Corporation of Trumbull, which owns the 96 Toddy Hill Road site. The developer is Viade Development, LLC, of Woodbridge.

Engineer Larry Edwards, representing the applicant, responded to the many criticisms of the project made by engineer Steven Trinkaus, explaining why the applicant's technical information was sound. In some cases, Mr Edwards modified the plans in response to the Mr Trinkaus's critique.

Many of Mr Trinkaus's comments concerned stormwater control at the site.

Mr Edwards said that the open space land planned for the subdivision meets the requirements of the town subdivision regulations. Also, based on his calculations, the project is eligible for one "bonus lot" under the terms of the "open space conservation subdivision" (OSCS) regulations, he said. By maximizing the open space land at the subdivision site through the use of an OSCS design, 11 lots are allowed, instead of 10 lots.

Mr Edwards said that many of the technical issues that have been raised by Mr Trinkaus are issues that are typically resolved when town building permits are issued for a project.

After performing a new stormwater control analysis, certain changes, but no major changes, were made to the subdivision plans to bring them into compliance with applicable stormwater control regulations, Mr Edwards said.

P&Z Chairman Robert Mulholland noted that certain specifics of a subdivision, such as the location of houses and driveways, will be controlled by the town Building Department.

Mr Trinkaus told P&Z members that Mr Edwards had not addressed all of the engineering concerns that he had raised. Rain gardens, as proposed by the applicant, are not ideal features for the site, Mr Trinkaus said, adding that they should be eliminated from the plans.

Mr Trinkaus said that a better design for the project would involve the creation of a small new road to provide frontage for an "enclave" of building lots, instead of creating lots along existing roads.

As proposed by the applicant, the project would not require any new roads, greatly simplifying its construction. Eight of the proposed lots would have vehicular access to Turkey Roost Road, with the other three lots having access to Toddy Hill Road. Each building lot would be served by its own domestic water well and septic waste disposal system. Wells would be located in the front yards and septic systems positioned in the backyards.

Mr Edwards disagreed with Mr Trinkaus's recommendation that the subdivision contain a new roadway. The planned OSCS subdivision, which maximizes open space, is in character with the community, Mr Edwards said. The site would contain 15.2 acres of open space.

Public Comment

During the public comment section of the July 20 hearing, Christie and Brian Curreri of 109 Toddy Hill Road said they favor a subdivision design that includes a new road and fewer house lots.

Madeline Cady of 30 Turkey Hill Terrace expressed concerns that developing the 96 Toddy Hill Road site with new homes would cause stormwater drainage problems at her downgradient property.

Denise David of 32 Clearview Drive said that there are wet basements in her neighborhood. She said she is concerned about the negative effects of stormwater runoff in her area after the subdivision is built.

The houses planned for the subdivision would be "too big for the neighborhood," Cindy Hughes of Toddy Hill Road told P&Z members. Also, more houses in the area will translate into more traffic, she warned.

John Ross of 121 Toddy Hill Road said Toddy Hill Road is a hazardous traffic area, adding that new development means additional traffic. It is hard to believe that new development would not result in stormwater drainage problems, he said.

In unanimously approving the Turkey Ridge proposal, P&Z members decided that the project's plans are consistent with the 2014 Town Plan of Conservation and Development and also adhere to the Comprehensive Plan.

Mr Mulholland then said the OSCS subdivision design is the best development design for the site. Such a design preserves undeveloped land for wildlife, he said.

Mr Mulholland complimented nearby property owners for prompting the applicant to reexamine the design plans, which resulted in some modifications to the project.

The development site lies west of Toddy Hill Road, north of Turkey Roost Road, south of Clearview Drive, and east and north of Kaechele Drive. The property is in a R-2 (Residential) zone, where normally a building lot would need to be at least two acres to meet the zoning regulations for such subdivision development.

However, because the applicant submitted the proposal under the terms of the OSCS regulations, the building lots at the parcel would be considerably smaller, with most lots being roughly one acre. Through the OSCS rules, which also are known as "cluster housing," relatively small lots at a site are "clustered" to maximize the amount of public open space land that is preserved at that site. Such public open space is used for passive forms of recreation such as hiking and nature study.

The OSCS rules require that at least 50 percent of a site be preserved as open space. In conventional subdivisions, at least 15 percent of a parcel must be designated as open space.