Date: Fri 26-Apr-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-subdivision-Sturges-Woods

Full Text:

Subdivision Draws The Ire Of Neighbors

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

Residents living in the area of Sturges Road, where a five-lot residential

subdivision is proposed for a 13-acre parcel, have raised a host of concerns

in asking why a development should be built there.

Taunton Properties, Limited Liability Corporation, has proposed creating

Sturges Woods at 2 through 10 Sturges Road. Most of the development would take

place on the north side of Sturges Road, in the area between Taunton Hill Road

and Wilderness West. Ed Raymond and Gordon Anderson are the principals in

Taunton Properties.

Besides the five-lot subdivision request, workmen have logged for planned home

construction an adjacent piece of property on the northern corner of Sturges

Road and Taunton Hill Road known as "Parcel A." Because Parcel A is the "first

cut" of land from a larger parcel, it isn't subject to the subdivision

regulations. So, all told, there would be home construction on six lots.

Attorney William Denlinger represented the applicants.

Jay Reis of 60 Taunton Hill Road said he has a water well 650 feet deep, which

ran dry last December and again in March. Mr Reis said he's concerned that new

wells for new houses will hurt his water supply. Mr Reis noted that he and his

wife don't use water heavily.

"This entire neighborhood is a relatively historic neighborhood," he said,

noting his house is 200 years old.

"What has been done to date has been done very insensitively," Mr Reis said of

workmen's recent extensive tree cutting on Parcel A in preparation for home

construction.

"What is going on here is going to decrease the (area) real estate values," Mr

Reis said. "It's not acceptable to me," he said.

"I have a fragile old house," he said, adding that if any blasting needs to be

done, he expects it would be done professionally and include "pre-blast

surveys" of existing houses in the area, so it later can be determined whether

the blasting has caused property damage.

"The wildlife (habitat) is another issue," he said.

Mr Reis asked whether the houses to be built will visually blend into the

neighborhood setting.

Mr Reis' comments attracted audience applause.

Julia Reis, Mr Reis' wife, said "This area is very wet." She said the state

has released 300 pheasants in the wooded area because it makes for good

pheasant habitat. She asked that the developers not disturb existing stone

walls in the area. Predicting that new wells in the area will deplete existing

wells, Mrs Reis said the development should be built elsewhere. She said it

would be good if nothing new were built on Sturges Road.

"I think the only person who really benefits from this is the developer, at

this time," she said. Mrs Reis said new construction will drive down existing

property values.

Rick Johnson of 3 Wilderness West said he has a 700-foot-deep water well which

runs dry. He said the workmen who cut down trees on Parcel A "butchered" the

property.

Ted Winokur of 17 Sturges Road asked that development in the area be done

sensibly.

Mary Stambuagh of 12 Sturges Road said that soil in the area is very porous.

If all land in the development area is scalped as was done on Parcel A, soil

erosion will occur, she said. It is a watery environment, she added.

She asked whether there will be visual screening between the new houses and

existing ones. She inquired whether the houses will be ostentatious ones which

are out of character with the neighborhood.

"There are a lot of negatives about this," she said, adding it would be a

shame to spoil a beautiful, woodsy area.

Dorothy Dansdill of 7 Wilderness West said area residents fear that the tree

cutting done on Parcel A indicates what tree cutting will be like on the other

lots in the development. Landscaping on the property to be developed should be

well done, she said.

Ralph Savarese of 15 Sturges Road said eliminating deer habitat by cutting

down trees will confuse the deer and cause them to venture onto roads, putting

them into possible collisions with automobiles.

Responses

Mr Denlinger said "I would hope this (project) would be developed in a

sensitive manner." He said it's unclear how to address the well water supply

issue raised by residents. He added it isn't clear what will happen to real

estates values in the area after new homes are built.

Mr Anderson said Parcel A will be sold to a developer who is known for

building expensive homes.

Mr Denlinger said the developers of the property will comply with the town's

strict erosion control regulations.

What's proposed for Sturges Road isn't overdelopment, he said, adding that the

proposal meets the town's land use regulations.

"If the regulations are wrong, maybe they should be changed," he said.

Development engineer David Bratz said he sees no need for blasting in the

area.

Mr Raymond said the land developers will seek to keep as many trees as

possible on the property.

"I think it's a fairly simple five-lot subdivision," Mr Denlinger said. He

said he's sorry that residents became upset over the tree cutting on Parcel A.

P&Z members will be inspecting the land proposed for home building. They have

until late June to act on the development request.