Water Pollution Control Authority: No Sewer Service For Edmond Road Apartments

By Andrew Gorosko

The Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) has told a development firm that wants to build a 120-unit rental apartment complex on the west side of Edmond Road that it is unwilling to provide sewer service for most buildings proposed for the site, casting the project’s future in doubt.

Most of the 27-acre development site and most of the construction proposed for the project lie outside of the town’s sewer district.   

Engineer Mark Lancor, representing Princewood Properties, LLC, of Princeton, N.J., June 22 had asked WPCA members about the feasibility of Princewood obtaining a sewer connection for its proposed complex near Exit 10 of Interstate-84.

High-density construction on the site could not be accomplished using of a conventional septic system, he said, adding that such a development would require some form of sewage treatment.

Princewood wants a sewer extension from the town to handle the estimated 18,000 gallons of wastewater which an apartment complex would generate daily from one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.

“We have not gone before any of the land use boards,” Mr Lancor told WPCA members. Mr Lancor said Princewood wants to build 120 apartments. Preliminary plans, which Princewood had submitted to the WPCA, had indicated 126 apartments.

Princewood has submitted proposed zoning regulations to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) which, if approved, would allow it to apply for a rental apartment complex on the Edmond Road site. A public hearing on that proposal is scheduled for August 3.

In the past, Princewood has explained to WPCA members that the availability of sewer service would be a key aspect of the project, adding that unless the development firm is allocated sufficient sewage treatment capacity by the WPCA, it probably would not proceed with the project.

Jeffrey Albert, Princewood’s managing member, could not be reached for comment.

Attorney William Denlinger, representing Princewood, explained the dilemma that the firm faces in seeking to extend sewers to the proposed complex.

“We’re part in and part out,” he said, noting that only a small part of the site lies inside the sewer district. “We do need guidance,” he said.

WPCA Chairman Richard Zang told Mr Lancor and Mr Denlinger that the town has no allotment for sewage treatment capacity for new development outside of the sewer district. New development which lies inside the sewer district has a higher priority for sewer service, he added.

Mr Denlinger pointed out though that the development site has single ownership. The 27-acre property is owned by Harriet B. Edwards and the Reid S. and Nancy L. Barker Family Limited Partnership.

Mr Lancor noted that most of the buildings at an apartment complex would lie outside the sewer district.

“This property is partly in and partly out, and we would offer sewer service to any buildings… in the district,” Mr Zang said.

Mr Denlinger asked about procedures for a developer to purchase municipal sewage treatment capacity from the town to serve an apartment complex, in light of the Walnut Tree Village condominium complex having acquired a sewer extension. A small section of the Walnut Tree Village property was within the sewer district before it gained sewer service.

Walnut Tree Village on Walnut Tree Hill Road in Sandy Hook was considered a “special case” by the WPCA because it is an elderly housing complex, Mr Zang said. Walnut Tree Developers, Inc., secured town sewer connections for 80 existing condo units and for 110 proposed units.

“What is the process? Where do we go from here?” Mr Denlinger asked in seeking to learn what steps a developer must take to gain a sewer extension.

Mr Zang suggested that Princewood discuss its proposal with the selectmen, explaining its interest in obtaining municipal sewer service.

WPCA member Alan Shepard suggested topics that Princewood could raise with the selectmen to gain their endorsement for its proposal, such as: does the proposed complex provide some overall benefit for the town; what are the advantages of having such a facility locally; and what special circumstances does Princewood face in seeking to develop the property.

WPCA members considered many factors before deciding to extend municipal sewer service to Walnut Tree Village, Mr Shepard said.

Mr Zang said WPCA members would consider comments from members of other town agencies on the wisdom of providing sewer service to Princewood.

The municipal sewer system was designed with current town zoning regulations and zoning designations in mind. The WPCA has a development framework with which it decides how to allocate the town’s limited remaining sewage treatment capacity at the sewage treatment plant.