P&Z Considering Alternate Versions Of Oak Ridge III

By Andrew Gorosko

In response to a Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) request for design changes, the developers of a proposed 17-lot residential subdivision, known as Oak Ridge III, have submitted for P&Z review a version of the project that would allow the nearby Split Rock Road to remain a dead-end street and not be extended into the subdivision.

Such a design would allow the developers to construct about 880 feet less roadway than initially proposed, while retaining the same number of building lots in Oak Ridge III.

The applicants own the development site, which is a 79.3-acre parcel of former farmland at 46 Eden Hill Road, near the Easton town line. Split Rock Road extends from Eden Hill Road.

The proposal is the largest single-family house development project submitted for P&Z review during the past several years.

Initially, developers Nick and Gino Vona, and W.F. Brothers, LLC, had proposed that Split Rock Road be extended into the Oak Ridge III project to provide an alternate entry-exit point for people living in the proposed subdivision.

But in response to several Split Rock Road residents’ objections to having their dead-end street become a through-road linked to another subdivision, the P&Z asked the developers to redesign the project to have Split Rock Road remain a dead-end street.

However, after Eden Hill Road residents learned of the pending road design changes, they petitioned the P&Z to have Split Rock Road be extended to become a through-road, saying that doing so would lessen the traffic pressure on Eden Hill Road.

Also, town fire officials informed the P&Z that from a firefighting logistics standpoint, it would be better if Split Rock Road were extended into the Oak Ridge III subdivision. The extended section of Split Rock Road would not contain any houses.

Attorney James Murphy of Wilton, representing the developers, told P&Z members at a February 19 public hearing that the proposed subdivision has been revised to leave Split Rock Road as a dead-end street.

Mr Murphy added that the Vona brothers are willing to build the Oak Ridge III subdivision with or without an extended Split Rock Road, depending upon which design the P&Z prefers for the project. “It’s your decision,” he said.

Mr Murphy said that Oak Ridge III has been in the “proposal” stage since 2006 and the Vona brothers now want to get started constructing the subdivision.

The lawyer said that although the developers believe that letting Split Rock Road remain a dead-end road makes for the best design, they are willing to extend the road, if required.

 P&Z member Dennis Bloom said that Split Rock Road is a difficult road to plow because it is a dead-end road. If Split Rock Road were connected to the proposed subdivision, it would be easier to plow and would be better for school bus transportation, he said.

Engineer Martin Malin, representing the developers, noted that it would require about one-half acre of pavement to extend Split Rock Road.

 Resident Carole Polcyn of 23 Eden Hill Road said she would like to have traffic dispersed in the area as a result of a Split Rock Road extension. Eden Hill Road is a narrow road that already carries too much traffic, she said.

Resident Mary Liscinsky of 58 Eden Hill Road stressed her support for making Split Rock Road a through-road. “There is no intention to make this [situation] neighborhood against neighborhood,” she added.

Both firefighters and the town’s Department of Public Works want to have Split Rock Road extended into the proposed subdivision, she said.

In a petition submitted to the P&Z, Eden Hill Road residents state that Eden Hill Road is narrow and dangerous, posing public safety issues. Converting Split Rock Road into a through-road would relieve traffic pressure on Eden Hill Road, they claim. Also, any additional traffic on Eden Hill Road created by the subdivision would hurt their property values and damage the road’s condition, they add.

Resident Robert Hutchinson of 8 Split Rock Road supported keeping that street as a dead-end road. More building lots could eventually be created on the street if it is converted into a through-road, he said.

Split Rock Road residents have argued that keeping that street as a dead-end road would forestall increased traffic flow there, would protect their safety, and would preserve their properties’ values.

P&Z Chairman Lilla Dean said the P&Z would continue its public hearing on Oak Ridge III to March 5, by when it expects to receive technical reviews of the development proposal from town staff members, as well as a legal opinion on the application from the town attorney.