Date: Fri 14-Nov-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Abbey-Ridge-Estates

Full Text:

Residents Express Concerns About Subdivision Off South Main Street

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Residents living near the site eyed for an eight-lot residential subdivision

off South Main Street are objecting to the project, voicing fears that the

blasting needed to build there will damage their properties. They also

expressed concerns about traffic problems.

Applicant Angelo Memoli wants to build Abbey Ridge Estates on 20 acres. The

land is on the east side of South Main Street, just south of Botsford Hill

Road.

Former Newtown resident and developer Harvey Gerber once proposed that the

property be developed for affordable housing, but those plans fell through.

Fire Marshal George Lockwood is requiring that Mr Memoli install an

underground tank to hold 20,000 gallons of water for firefighting at the site.

Environmental Enforcement Official Christopher Majewski analyzed the

developmental aspects of the property in a report submitted to the P&Z. Mr

Majewski states the property contains moderate to abrupt slopes, including

bedrock ledge outcrops. The land is forested with oak and other hardwoods.

Much blasting would be needed to develop the rocky land, according to Mr

Majewski. Also, significant cutting and filling would be needed, he added.

Although the applicant doesn't need Conservation Commission approval to

develop the land, the applicant has agreed to use extensive controls on the

site to prevent erosion and sedimentation problems, according to Mr Majewski.

Mr Majewski suggested that fencing be installed around a proposed stormwater

detention basin on the site as a safety feature.

Town Engineer Ronald Bolmer estimated that developing the site would require

the removal of 25,000 cubic yards of earth materials.

Based on concerns about the amount of earth material which would be removed

and concerns about driveway steepness and angles, plus other factors, Mr

Bolmer recommended against approving Abbey Ridge Estates.

In a presentation to P&Z members, Bill Carboni, an engineer with

Spath-Bjorklund Associates, Inc, described the proposal as "a standard

eight-lot subdivision in a two-acre zone." Some 1.3 acres of open space land

would be donated to the Newtown Forest Association, he said.

The application meets the state's requirements for minimum traffic sightline

distances looking onto South Main Street, he said. Development wouldn't

require extensive blasting, he added.

The interior slope of the stormwater detention basin would be a maximum 3-to-1

grade, meaning that for each three feet of horizontal extension there would be

one foot of vertical drop. Septic system designs meet town standards, Mr

Carboni said.

The development's design includes the creation of a new dead-end roadway for

seven of the building lots, plus one building lot on South Main Street.

P&Z member James Boylan suggested that the development have seven lots instead

of eight lots.

Residents' Concerns

At the P&Z's November 6 public hearing on Abbey Ridge Estates, one Swamp Road

resident asked how many adjacent property owners would have a view of the

stormwater detention basin on the site. She asked whether the development site

would abut her property, to which Mr Carboni responded Mr Memoli's land

doesn't abut her land.

Stormwater detention basins are small artificial ponds often formed by

mounding up earth on a development site. The basins typically are empty of

water, but when a storm occurs, water from the site drains into the basin from

which it is slowly released into waterways off the site. Using such structures

is intended to prevent erosion and sedimentation problems. However, some

residents have complained that such basins pose safety risks to children.

Resident Helen Keyes of 361 South Main Street asked how Abbey Ridge Estates

would affect her property's value. Ms Keyes said traffic through the area is

already heavy, asking how increased growth will affect traffic there. She also

asked how blasting at the site would affect her septic tank and domestic water

well.

Resident Robert Deilus of 21 Swamp Road said there is a spring that flows in

the area in the springtime. He wondered how the development would affect that

spring, further asking how septic systems at the development site would affect

the spring.

Resident Ken Miklus of 15 Stuart Drive noted that the spring feeds the swamp

adjacent to Swamp Road. Solid rock at the development site will require

extensive blasting for construction, he said.

Resident Robert Stone of 8 Stuart Drive said he is concerned about the effects

the proposed development would have on his domestic water well and septic

system. Mr Stone added that traffic sightlines for motorists exiting the

proposed development onto South Main Street would be "horrendous."

Resident Arthur Miller of 4 Stuart Drive said it is unclear if excavation at

the site could be limited to the town's maximum of 200 cubic yards per

dwelling. Mr Miller asked how motorists leaving Abbey Ridge Estates would be

able to make left turns onto southbound South Main Street considering the

heavy traffic the road now carries.

Resident Michael Hugyo of 12 Stuart Drive said traffic sightlines would be

inadequate. Although those sightlines might look good "on paper," in reality,

they are insufficient, he said. He suggested the developer consider a more

practical configuration for the subdivision.

In the five years he has lived at his home, he has moved much rock on it, he

said. He expressed concerns over the effect blasting would have on his water

well, septic system, and house foundation.

Resident Jean Louis Picouet of 6 Stuart Drive was concerned about the effects

blasting would have on his water well.

Blasting Safeguards

Mr Carboni acknowledged it will require blasting in order to install building

foundations, build a road, and build driveways at the proposed subdivision.

Pre-blast and post-blast surveys would be conducted to determine whether

blasting has caused any damage to nearby properties, he said. Blasting

insurance will be carried, he said.

Seismometers will be used to gauge earth motion stemming from blasting, he

added. The developer does not propose doing any "ornamental" grading, he said.

The plans submitted to the P&Z indicate it is possible to create building lots

on the site, he said.

The stormwater detention basin will not be visible from South Main Street or

Stuart Drive, he said.

Mr Carboni said he does not believe nearby property values will be affected by

Abbey Ridge Estates.

Of the residents' concerns about traffic, Mr Carboni said the nearby traffic

light at the intersection of Botsford Hill Road, Meadow Brook Road, and South

Main Street will benefit motorists exiting the proposed development.

P&Z members closed the public hearing. P&Z action on Abbey Ridge Estates is

expected at an upcoming session.