A Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) public hearing on a 23-lot residential subdivision proposed for a 167-acre site in Dodgingtown, which had been scheduled to start on November 6, has been delayed, with the hearing now slated for November 20, town officials said last week.

Although the P&Z’s public hearing on The Preserve at Newtown will technically commence on November 6 due to certain legal notification requirements, on that night there would be no presentation of the proposal by the developer or any testimony provided by the developer, town officials, or the public.

The project’s presentation by the developer, testimony, questions and comments would start on November 20. That P&Z session is slated for 7:30 pm at Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street.

Due to a scheduling conflict, the applicant requested that the public hearing not occur on November 6, town officials said.

The proposed development would take place along Robin Hill Road #2 and off Scudder Road.

On October 22, the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) concluded a three-segment public hearing on the subdivision proposal. The IWC is scheduled to discuss and possibly act of the application when it next meets on November 12.

While the IWC’s review of such projects is relatively narrow in scope, focusing on the protection of wetlands and watercourses, the P&Z’s review of subdivision applications is broader, addressing topics such as septic waste disposal, domestic water wells, traffic, and noise.

The proposed cluster-style development seeks to concentrate new single-family houses on relatively small building lots in two areas on the site in order to leave approximately 84 acres, or about half of the  overall tract as undeveloped open space land. Such land would be open to the public for passive forms of recreation, such as hiking and nature study.

The project is proposed by developers KASL, LLC, and IBF, LLC. The firms are represented by local developer/builder George L. Trudell.

Nine house lots would be created along the southeast side of Robin Hill Road, which extends northeastward from Rock Ridge Road, near Rock Ridge Country Club.

A larger cluster of house lots would be constructed on a proposed new quarter-mile-long dead-end street to be known as Deer Hill Drive, extending southeastward from Scudder Road, south of Ferris Road.

The developer’s applications to both the P&Z and the IWC are available for public review during regular business hours at the town Land Use Agency offices at Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street.