Residents from the Whippoorwill Hill Road area showed up in numbers at a June 13 Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) meeting as the commission started its review of a major commercial/industrial project proposed for an approximately 140-acre tract that lies next to that dead-end residential street that extends from Mount Pleasant Road.

About 20 residents listened as representatives of Hawleyville Properties LLC presented information on the firm's plans to develop the site with 525,000 square feet of commercial/industrial space, in the form of three buildings holding a combined 275,000 square feet of medical office space plus one 250,000-square-foot warehouse. When developed, the site would hold 1,514 parking spaces. The project's street addresses are 90 Mount Pleasant Road, 10 Hawleyville Road, and 1 Sedor Lane.

The project would require about 368,000 cubic yards of earthmoving on the steep, rugged terrain that is streaked with multiple wetlands. The applicant is seeking a wetlands/watercourses permit from the IWC.

On June 7, the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) approved zoning regulation changes that add medical office buildings and warehouses as permitted uses on land that has M-2A zoning, such as that at the development site. The project would need additional P&Z approvals for a special zoning permit and a site development plan.

During the public comment section of the June 13 IWC public hearing, Patrick Napolitano of Whippoorwill Hill Road told IWC members that he had not heard the applicant mention anything regarding protecting the private domestic water wells which serve his neighborhood.

IWC Chairman Sharon Salling told Mr Napolitano that domestic water wells are not under the IWC's jurisdiction, adding that he should address his concerns to agencies which oversee such matters.

Concerns about domestic water wells typically are discussed at P&Z public hearings on development applications. The town Health Department also reviews domestic water well issues.

Mr Napolitano told IWC members that the developer would be doing extensive earthmoving in the area that is the source of drinking water for wells in the Whippoorwill Hill Road area, resulting in his water concerns.

A north-south dead-end roadway at 90 Mount Pleasant Road, which would lie parallel and west of Whippoorwill Hill Road, would provide access to the three proposed medical office buildings

Michael Ricciardi of Whippoorwill Hill Road questioned the practicality of the proposed construction work on the site when considering the rugged terrain there. Extensive excavation could result in flooding due to underlying site conditions, he said. Mr Ricciardi predicted that extensive earthen cutting at the site could cause much "weeping," in which groundwater surfaces at cut slopes.

Mr Ricciardi, who said he has worked in site development for many years, characterized the property as "a tremendously tough site to work." Excavation would cause drainage problems, he predicted.

Steve Maguire, town senior land use enforcement officer, told civil engineer Michael Sullivan of BL Companies, who represented the developer, that the applicant needs to clear to some extent the extensive invasive overgrowth present at the site. That overgrowth strictly limits access to land that needs to be inspected, he said.

Heavy overgrowth is present in the form of dense invasive stands of barberry, multiflora rose, and autumn olive, which form thorn-laden thickets that prevent movement on the site. Machetes are typically used to cut through such dense growth.

Also, Mr Maguire asked that the developer provide at public hearings the mapping for the sprawling property in the form of projected slides, rather than mapping on paper sheets, to make it easier for people to understand the project.

Due to the extensive amount of stormwater control devices to be installed, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) will review the project and issue permits if its standards are met.

Wetlands scientist James Cowen, representing the applicant, told IWC members that all of the wetlands at the site are wooded swamps, adding that some areas have semi-permanent ponds. No vernal pools have been located, he said.

A wetlands expert would work with the general contractor on the project to review the construction process, Mr Cowen said.

Noting the inaccessibility of the site due to its overgrowth, Ms Salling asked, "Are you confident you have really delineated the full extent of the wetlands?" The heavy overgrowth has prevented IWC members from making a typical site inspection, she noted.

The restricted access issue resulted in extra time being spent in checking for wetlands at the site, Mr Cowen responded.

"It took a lot of machete work to delineate the wetlands," Mr Sullivan said.

Ms Salling told the applicant that more information needs to provided to the IWC regarding proposed stormwater control at the site.

Mr Maguire termed the application "premature," noting that much required information has not yet been submitted. He added that reducing the sizes of the proposed buildings would result in less environmental impact on nearby wetlands.

IWC members agreed to resume the public hearing on June 27.

The sprawling site is bordered on the north by eastbound Interstate 84 and its Exit 9 on-ramp, on the northeast by agricultural open space land, on the southeast by the residential Whippoorwill Hill Road, on the south by Mount Pleasant Road, and on the west by Hawleyville Road.