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Newtown Village Developers Ask For Town Sewer Service

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

The applicant for Newtown Village, a controversial 100-home cluster-style

housing complex proposed for Sandy Hook, is asking the Water Pollution Control

Authority (WPCA) to expand the town's sewer district to include the 32-acre

site eyed for development off Route 34.

In a letter to WPCA Chairman Peter Alagna, Michael Petti, an engineer

representing Newtown Village applicant D&H Homes, LLC, of New Milford, asks

that the town's sewer district be expanded to include the development site

which is bounded by Route 34, Bishop Circle, Philo Curtis Road, and the Exit

11 on-ramp of Interstate-84. The site is a former sand-and-gravel mine.

But WPCA Chairman Peter Alagna says it's premature for the developer to seek a

connection to the town sewer system.

Newtown Village is planned in accordance with the state's policy on affordable

housing and the town's affordable housing development regulations. Of the 100

houses, 25 would be designated as "affordable housing," or earmarked for

people meeting certain annual income limits.

Mr Petti writes that Newtown Village is planned to have 75 houses with three

bedrooms and 25 houses with two bedrooms, for a total of 275 bedrooms.

"Based on an average occupancy of 3.5 persons per home, and an estimated flow

rate of 75 gallons (of wastewater) per person, per day, we estimate the

Newtown Village average daily wastewater flow rate will be (approximately)

26,500 gallons per day," Mr Petti writes.

Mr Petti works for Stearns and Wheler, LLC, an environmental engineering and

science firm.

"The proposed new sewer service area will serve only Newtown Village and it

will be connected to the existing Newtown sewer service area by a new

transmission line," according to Mr Petti.

The town plans to extend a sewer line to Newtown High School to resolve an

environmental problem apparently caused by its septic system.

The sewage treatment plant under construction is capable of handling about one

million gallons of wastewater daily, with roughly one-third of that capacity

allocated for town use and the remainder designated for state agencies at

Fairfield Hills, according to the engineer.

Referring to the 1993 intergovernmental sewage agreement between the town and

the state, Mr Petti suggests that the town increase its sewage treatment

capacity allocation to serve Newtown Village by obtaining that capacity from

the state's wastewater treatment allotment.

"The request to obtain additional capacity from the state of Connecticut for

Newtown Village would be consistent with the state's adopted policy to foster

affordable housing," according to Mr Petti.

"By its nature, affordable housing necessarily requires high density

development, which in and of itself is a good reason for public sanitary sewer

service," Mr Petti writes.

D&H Homes, LLC, the developer, hopes the WPCA will support the Planning and

Zoning Commission's (P&Z) regulations which endorse creating affordable

housing to meet community needs, according to Mr Petti.

If the WPCA approves expanding the sewer service area, the developer would

create a preliminary design for a sewer transmission main to link the proposed

Newtown Village to the town's sewer system, Mr Petti writes.

Alagna's Response

Mr Alagna said it's premature for the town to request any added wastewater

treatment capacity from the state.

The town should wait until it has used up its sewage treatment capacity and

then determine its long-term policy on providing additional wastewater

treatment capacity, according the WPCA chairman.

The state currently doesn't even know its long-term sewage treatment needs for

Fairfield Hills, and may not now be willing to relinquish any of its capacity,

according to Mr Alagna.

WPCA members have strong reservations about extending the sewer service area

at this time, the chairman said.

Mr Alagna pointed out that the town hadn't planned to extend sewers to Newtown

High School, but an environmental problem cropped up and it was decided such a

sewer extension is necessary.

The town sewer line which will extend to the high school will be a

transmission line, he noted. Properties situated along that line between Sandy

Hook Center and the high school will only be connected to the sewer system to

correct existing environmental problems, not for economic development reasons,

he noted.

After the sewer system is in operation and all sewer policies are in place,

the WPCA might work with the town on proposals to extend the sewer service

area for economic reasons, according to Mr Alagna. But the town hasn't yet

reached that point, he added.

The sewage treatment plant is scheduled for completion by September. Sewer

hookups to homes and business within the sewer district will be made at some

point after that.

Allowing someone from outside the existing sewer district to connect to the

sewer system might prevent someone within the sewer district with an

environmental problem from connecting to the system, according to Mr Alagna.

Early this year, the WPCA approved allowing Walnut Tree Village, a condominium

complex on Walnut Tree Hill Road in Sandy Hook, to connect to the municipal

sewer system. Walnut Tree Village, which is designed for people over 55, isn't

considered affordable housing.

P&Z Approval Needed

In the face of strong opposition from nearby property owners, D&H Homes, in

February, gained a wetlands construction license from the Conservation

Commission for Newtown Village. The developers still need P&Z approval.

The Newtown Village developers met with town officials in February to learn

how to refine their proposal to gain P&Z approval for the 100-house project.

Issues raised by town officials included wastewater disposal, traffic, water

supply, and fire protection.

The developers have been formulating an application for P&Z review.

In February, the Newtown Village developers proposed building a community

septic system to serve all houses on the property. That system would include

"pre-treatment" equipment to remove nitrogen from the wastewater before it

enters leaching fields.

WPCA regulations, however, prevent high-density developments with community

septic systems from using pre-treatment devices.

Mr Petti then said the developers believe they are caught in a "Catch-22"

situation because the WPCA regulation would prevent any pre-treatment of

wastewater, in effect, preventing the creation of high-density "affordable

housing."

John Horton, a manager for D&H Homes, in February said the developers' first

choice for wastewater disposal is connecting the complex to the municipal

sewer system.

Mr Petti then asked how the developers' application can be made consistent

with the town's regulations.

Town Health Director Mark Cooper told him the wastewater disposal issues are

matters that will have to be resolved by the P&Z and the WPCA.

The two-story houses proposed by D&H Homes would range in size from 1,400 to

2,100 square feet and would be built in six styles. Roads in the complex would

be privately owned. An owners' association would be responsible for road

maintenance and snow plowing. The houses would be marketed in the $140,000 to

$200,000 price range. The "market value homes" priced nearer $200,000 would

subsidize the "affordable homes" priced nearer $140,000, thus giving the

developers a financial incentive to build the "affordable housing." A state

law provides "density bonuses" to developers as a financial incentive to build

complexes with at least 25 percent of the homes designated for moderate-income

families.