Date: Fri 27-Dec-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Newtown-Village-Fuss-&-O'neill

Full Text:

Town's Consulting Engineers Raise Questions About Newtown Village Plan

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

The town's consulting engineers have reviewed plans that have submitted to the

Conservation Commission by the applicants for the Newtown Village affordable

housing complex and have raised some questions about the project.

In a report to First Selectman Robert Cascella, Fuss and O'Neill, Inc, of

Manchester analyzed aspects of the development plan concerning stormwater

management, wastewater disposal, and the project's layout and grading.

The analysis is based on information submitted by the applicants to the

Conservation Commission, which is considering a proposal for wetlands

construction work on the property. The developers haven't yet submitted an

application to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) for what would be the

town's first affordable housing complex.

D&H Homes LLC of New Milford and Fairfield 2000 Homes Corp of Stamford want to

build 102 houses, 25 of which would be designated "affordable," on small lots

on a 32-acre site in Sandy Hook, which formerly was a sand and gravel mine.

The site is off Berkshire Road and adjacent to the Interchange-11 on-ramp of

Interstate-84.

According to Fuss and O'Neill's analysis, the proposed development greatly

reduces water runoff to existing wetlands on the site and significantly

reduces the amount of stormwater runoff that recharges to the groundwater.

Most of the runoff on the site now is retained on the bowl-shaped site and is

recharged to groundwater or evaporates. The proposed stormwater management

system would direct 10 acres of runoff away from the existing wetlands and to

new proposed wetlands and a pond that would be created for the development.

Excess water from existing wetlands would be piped to the pond.

Currently, excess runoff from the existing wetlands flows to a retention area

and is recharged into the ground. The developers propose excavating the

retention area and sealing it with an impermeable liner to form a permanent

pond, eliminating most of the recharge, according to Fuss and O'Neill. The

excess stormwater from the pond would be piped to a state-owned drainage

system along Berkshire Road.

Existing wetlands are proposed to be preserved and protected by bio-filters,

although the area draining to the wetlands will be reduced, according to the

engineers.

The new pond and the wetlands created along the pond's fringe are proposed for

stormwater detention and water quality improvement. The measures appear to be

reasonable and should perform as claimed, according to Fuss and O'Neill.

The engineers, though, question the accuracy of the developers' calculations

for stormwater runoff flow rates, saying the statistics which have been

presented indicate lower peak flows than can be expected on the site.

Fuss and O'Neill states it wasn't provided with drainage calculations for

stormwater catch basins and piping and thus wasn't able to review them for

adequacy.

Wastewater Disposal

Fuss and O'Neill's analysis indicates that municipal sewer service won't be

available for Newtown Village.

"The developer has proposed not to handle the development's wastewater

`on-site,' as required, but has proposed a community sewerage system instead.

The proposed sewerage system does not rely on the soil for (water) renovation

capability, and instead proposes a wastewater treatment plant for renovating

the wastewater, prior to subsurface disposal," according to the engineers.

"We believe the soils in and around the leaching fields cannot provide

renovation for the high flow rate that would result from such an intense

degree of development, and meet state water quality requirements, according to

the engineers. The town has planned that (residential) development be

specifically limited to what the `on-site' soils can support in order to avoid

the need to have to install sewers at a later time," they add.

"The proposed use of a treatment plant would essentially defeat the density

limitations inherent in the sewer avoidance designation of this area. It would

increase the level of sophistication and maintenance requirements for handling

wastewater at this site compared with a less dense development with properly

designed and installed `on-site' systems," the report states.

Although extending a sewer line to Newtown High School as is planned by the

Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) would situate a sewer line much

closer to the Newtown Village site than is now the case, the town has

designated the sewer line to the high school as a "transmission line" solely

intended to serve the high school, according to the engineers.

The Newtown Village site lies within the town's aquifer protection zone and is

part of the Pootatuck River Valley aquifer, making groundwater protection

there particularly important, according to Fuss and O'Neill.

"There appears to be a possible indirect connection from this site to

potential water supply wells," they write.

Groundwater in the development site area is classified as "GA" by the state

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) meaning that the groundwater

there should be of drinking water quality and posing a key criterion in

planning a community waste disposal system, according to the engineers.

"We have serious concerns about the ability of a development of this magnitude

and density to rely on the underlying soils for hydraulic and renovative

capability as required by the town's zoning requirements. The primary concerns

are control of nitrates and bacteria and viruses," according to Fuss and

O'Neill. The suspected problem stems from coarse soils on the site and the

close proximity of property lines and wetlands, they add.

"The applicant has proposed to overcome these constraints by installing a

package treatment plant to treat the wastewater prior to discharge into the

leaching fields. This is not allowed by zoning regulations... The zoning

regulations were modified in 1995 to require wastewater disposal to be

strictly soil-based," the engineers say.

Were the waste disposal system proposed by the developers to be approved, the

town ultimately would be responsible for the system's operations and

maintenance if the owners fail to do so, according to the engineers.

Fuss and O'Neill points out that the town could seek whatever funding

mechanism it deems necessary to ensure the proper long-term operation of the

waste disposal system, such as escrow accounts for operations and equipment

replacement, according to Fuss and O'Neill.

Layout and Grading

Fuss and O'Neill also analyzed the plans presented to the town so far

concerning the proposed development's lot layout and grading work.

"The site appears to have been layed out to avoid wetlands impacts and to

maximize the number of home sites. These are normal development goals but some

of the resulting lots are steeply sloped which could present access, use and

drainage problems to the homeowners or occupants. Ten lots that back up

against Philo Curtis Road have slopes of about 20 percent. Fifteen lots along

the southern boundary of the development have slopes that range from about 14

to 26 percent," according to Fuss and O'Neill.

"Proper grading, especially in the rear yards of the above 25 lots, will be

very important in keeping runoff away from the house foundations. This will be

particularly important during the winter months when the landscaped areas

around the homes are frozen," the engineers add.

The proper grading of driveways will be very important to provide reasonable

sloped areas for vehicle parking and travel, they write. Good drainage to

prevent, icing conditions and garage flooding, will be of particular

importance, they add.

Street widths planned for the development should not be reduced due to the

possibility of on-street parking, which could hamper emergency vehicle access

to this limited-access neighborhood, according to Fuss and O'Neill.

The engineering review was prepared under the supervision of Jay Giles, a Fuss

and O'Neill senior vice president, and Peter Grose, a vice president of the

engineering firm.

In response to the engineering review, John Horton, manager for D&H Homes,

said the report probably will cloud some developmental issues while the plan

is pending before the Conservation Commission.

"It may tend to cloud more issues than it clarifies," he said.

While their wetland construction proposal is pending before the Conservation

Commission, the applicants won't address any issues raised in the report which

don't pertain to the Conservation Commission application, he said.

If Newtown Village receives a wetlands construction permit, it would then

apply to the P&Z for a development review.

The Newtown Village proposal is scheduled for discussion at a January 8

Conservation Commission public hearing at 8 pm at Town Hall South.