Date: Fri 01-Aug-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Whispering-Pines-PSD

Full Text:

Developers Seek To Expand Whispering Pines

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

PSD Partnership is seeking Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) approval to

increase the number of lots in its controversial Whispering Pines residential

subdivision from 13 to 16.

Whispering Pines is on 26 acres near Pine Street, Cherry Street and

Narragansett Trail in Sandy Hook. The developers have built a new dead-end

road, Miya Lane, which extends from the intersection of Cherry Street and Pine

Street into the development site.

After it was first proposed in the spring of 1996, Whispering Pines became

among the most controversial development projects submitted to the P&Z during

recent years, attracting scores of people who complained about it at P&Z

public hearings.

On July 24, however, when the P&Z held three public hearings on PSD's proposal

to increase the number of house lots from 13 to 16, only one person criticized

the proposal.

Resident Mike Salvatore of 59 Buttonball Drive said that while the existing 13

lots are "sustainable" at the development site, creating 16 lots is

"questionable."

If 16 lots are approved, houses in the development will be built close to one

another, he said. The site is only 26 acres, and not all the land there is

developable, he said.

"These houses are going to be on top of one another," Mr Salvatore said. "I

just don't see how 16 lots is doable."

There are water supply problems in the surrounding neighborhood, he said,

noting that he had to have his water well improved to increase its yield.

Mr Salvatore also pointed out the development area has sandy soil and lies

atop the Housatonic aquifer, which serves as an underground water supply in

the area.

Engineer Larry Edwards, a PSD partner, told P&Z members July 24 the three

proposed re-subdivisions conform to town regulations regarding septic systems

and water wells. The developers will modify plans, as needed, to address the

town engineer's concerns about emergency vehicle access to the proposed house

lots, Mr Edwards said.

P&Z member Heidi Winslow said the proposal contains inadequate parking for

visitors to future residents of the three lots.

Thomas Maguire, a PSD partner, said parking is provided at the lots, adding

that even spacious subdivisions have vehicles parked in the street when

parties are being held.

There is a market for homes such as the ones planned for Whispering Pines, he

said.

P&Z action on the request for three more building lots at Whispering Pines is

expected at an upcoming meeting.

Salvatore

Mr Salvatore was in the forefront of the many nearby residents who protested

against earlier versions of Whispering Pines. It was the submission of the

Whispering Pines project that led citizens to start forming neighborhood

associations to protest various residential development projects in their

areas.

Protests that followed earlier versions of Whispering Pines led the P&Z to

pass new regulations last spring to strictly limit the amount of earth

material that can be removed or deposited on building lots.

In passing those new rules, P&Z members noted that removing about 37,500 cubic

yards of earth material from the Whispering Pines site will radically change

its landforms. The intent of the new rules is to limit re-contouring of the

landscape.

In April 1996, PSD had proposed creating 19 lots at Whispering Pines including

the removal of 50,000 cubic yards of earth material. The P&Z rejected that

proposal following heavy public protests.

The protesters said the proposal would damage the environment by the removal

of an excessive amount of sand and gravel from the property; overcrowd the

neighborhood; jeopardize already unreliable well water supplies; worsen

traffic hazards; and overburden the public schools, among other complaints.

P&Z rejected the 19-lot proposal, citing concerns over drainage,

sedimentation, erosion, excavation and grading.

Following the rejection of the 19-lot proposal, PSD submitted a 16-lot

version, which it said addressed issues raised by the P&Z in rejecting the

19-lot project.

In September 1996, P&Z approved only 13 lots for the site and banned any

future "re-subdivisions" there. PSD Partnership sued the P&Z in Danbury

Superior Court seeking to gain approval for 16 lots. In the lawsuit, the

developers maintained the P&Z stepped outside its regulatory bounds in banning

any future re-subdivision of the land.

After the P&Z approved a 13-lot version of Whispering Pines early this year,

the developers dropped the lawsuit but reminded the town they would be back to

seek three more lots on the site.

It is those three re-subdivision requests that the P&Z is now considering.

The 26-acre site lies within an established neighborhood. Unlike some new home

construction projects in areas where there are few, if any, neighbors, the

Whispering Pines site is in one of the most densely-built sections of Newtown,

with 85 individually owned parcels lying within 500 feet of the edge of the

development site.