Date: Fri 01-May-1998

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Naragansett-New-England

Full Text:

Hearings Set On Two Sandy Hook Subdivisions

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members plan to hold public hearings on

Thursday, May 7, on two separate residential development proposals totalling

20 lots.

The P&Z will meet at 7:30 pm at Newtown Middle School auditorium, 11 Queen

Street. The public hearings start at 8 pm.

Pond View, LLC, is seeking approval for New England Heights, Section II. The

30-acre site would be divided into 13 building lots. It is located near the

intersection of Great Ring Road and Bradley Lane in Sandy Hook, near the

Monroe town line.

In July 1997, the P&Z turned down an earlier version of New England Heights in

a 4-to-0 vote.

The developer, Pond View, LLC, failed to mail notices of a June 5, 1997 public

hearing on the subdivision proposal to nearby property owners. The P&Z

solicited public comments at that hearing, but no one spoke.

Because nearby property owners were not notified, the P&Z's regulations were

violated, nullifying the application.

Some neighbors expressed concerns about the project at a later public session,

which technically was not a public hearing and thus legally questionable.

In the pending resubmission, the developer will be subject to a series of

rules approved by the P&Z in March 1997 that strictly regulate the amount of

earth materials that can be removed or placed on building lots.

Narragansett

The other public hearing is PSD Partnership's application for Narragansett

Estates/West, a proposed seven-lot residential subdivision on almost 11 acres

on Narragansett Trail.

Developer Thomas Maguire and engineer Larry Edwards are members of the

partnership.

PSD Partnership's proposal for Narragansett Estates/East was the subject of an

April 16 P&Z public hearing.

That proposal involves four lots on eight acres on Narragansett Trail.

Attorney Robert Hall represents PSD in the two development applications.

At the April 16 session, Mr Edwards said the developers could have sought five

lots on the eight-acre parcel. P&Z members explained to the developers they

will be subject to the P&Z regulations approved in March 1997 that limit the

amount of earthen material that can be removed on brought onto a building lot

to 200 cubic yards.

There was no public comment on Narragansett Estates/East at the April 16

hearing.

Narragansett Estates/East and Narragansett Estates/West would add 11 building

lots across Narragansett Trail from Whispering Pines, a 15-lot subdivision

submitted for P&Z consideration in the spring of 1996.

Whispering Pines, along with Tamarack Woods, another Maguire-Edwards project,

were the two development applications that ignited public protests in 1996

over the rapid rate of residential development and led to the formation of the

Newtown Neighborhoods Coalition.

The development of Whispering Pines, off Pine and Cherry streets, was the

impetus for the P&Z's March 1977 revision of its regulations that limits how

much earth material can be removed from a building lot.

After development rejections, extended legal wrangling, and protracted

hearings, the P&Z approved Whispering Pines as a 13-lot subdivision in early

1997.

The developers gained P&Z approval to remove about 37,500 cubic yards of sand

and gravel from the 15 lots on 26 acres, radically changing the contours of

the land by creating steep slopes and generating thousands of heavy dump truck

trips through a residential area with narrow roads.

PSD returned to the P&Z later in 1997 seeking three resubdivisions of the land

to get a total 16 lots at Whispering Pines. The P&Z granted two of those

subdivisions for a total of 15 lots.

If all lots sought by PSD in the Narragansett applications are granted, the

three PSD projects in the area will have a total of 26 lots.

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 01-May-1998

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