PLANNING
COMMISSION
P.O. BOX 308
Thursday, January 26,
2006
7:00 p.m. Town
Hall
a.
Special Use Permit Application for Age Restricted Housing, Shaker Road,
Gingras Development, LLC
Chairman Karl
Walton opened the public hearing at 7:00 p.m. Town Planner Patrice Carson read the
legal notice.
Landscape
Architect, Aris Stalis, from BSC Group spoke on behalf of the applicant. He explained that they have consulted
quite a bit with the Town and revised plans were submitted today. Mr. Stalis described the proposed
age-restricted housing development composed of 80 units and situated on a
45-acre parcel adjacent to Shaker Road.
The applicant anticipates utilizing 23 acres for the project, with 388
feet of frontage.
Each unit will
have a 2-car garage and 2 additional parking spaces in the driveway. The units are designed to be
approximately 2,000 to 3,000 square-feet in size. The outer materials proposed will
include vinyl siding in earth tones with various stone or brick accents as
selected by unit owners.
The total
pavement coverage will be 4.2 acres, which is under 9%. A 24-foot wide roadway will encircle the
site and be accompanied by a sidewalk along one side, and enter the site from
Shaker Road. A second entrance for
emergency vehicle access will be located behind Joanna’s Café and will remain
locked to the public. A walking
trail through the woods is proposed, which will be field-located to minimize
area disturbance.
Potential
drainage runoff will be collected with pipes and under drains along the roadways
and two detention basins. The
basins are to be planted with native seedlings and the 80-foot buffer has been
designed to re-vegetate and readily re-seed.
A sewage pump
station will be required to serve a portion of the units and will be housed
within a small, covered storage building, which will be landscaped and have it’s
own parking space.
A central green
with a gazebo is proposed. If the
Owners’ Association decides to landscape the area with gardens and/or various
plantings, they may do so, as this common area is meant to be for the benefit of
all the residents.
Lighting has
been designed for minimal impact on the environment. Each unit would have a 6-foot light
pole, controlled centrally by the Association.
The Town Planner
is in receipt of a letter dated January 25, 2006 from the BSC Group in which 9
items and comments arising from the last meeting are successfully
addressed. Town Sanitarian Steve
Jacobs received a letter from Gingras Development regarding revisions to the
proposed units required to meet the size regulations, and he approves of the
proposed changes.
Mrs. Carson
commented that the BSC Group had not added a second parking space at the pump
station as required by the WPCA.
Mr. Stalis understood the request to be a suggestion only and, therefore
had not complied with the request.
Mrs. Carson explained that the extra parking space was a condition of
approval from WPCA and Mr. Stalis agreed to add the space to the
plans.
Mrs. Carson
asked if the project will be done in phases and was told that it would not
be. Mr. Gingras explained that the
utilities will need to be done all at once.
Ann Levesque,
230 Four Bridges Road,
asked whether or not the 2,000 to 3,000 square-foot unit size included the
garage area, and Mr. Stalis stated that the garage was in addition to the
designated size. Mrs. Carson
clarified by adding that the actual unit sizes begin at 1,660 square feet and go
up to 2,500 square feet according to the model unit plans
presented.
Mrs. Levesque
asked about the high water table and it’s potential effect on any
basements. She was concerned about
a flooding problem and wondered if sump-pumps or some other accommodation would
be included to handle such a problem.
Mr. Gingras explained that footing drains will be installed beneath the
basements and should prevent any water from collecting in unit
basements.
She also asked
how many stories the units will contain and where the brick or stone accents
will be used. Jerry Gingras
explained that they will be single-story and 1-1/2-story units. The brick and stone will be used on the
front of some of the units, on either the gables or the porches as possible
upgrades. The objective in
providing these is to create a complimentary mix of materials so that the units
won’t have a “cookie-cutter” appearance.
Mrs. Levesque
also inquired about the lighting, as she was concerned that not enough would be
provided. Mr. Stalis again stated
that it was the intention to minimize the impact on the environment. He added that too much light can create
blind spots. In addition, the
homeowners will have a say in the lighting, as it will be centrally controlled
by the Homeowners’ Association.
Malcolm
Chadbourne, 39 Lindell Drive, expressed concern over losing the
wooded areas. He asked if a lot of
the trees would be removed. It was
explained that a good buffer would be maintained and that the trees within the
buffer area would not be thinned.
Mr. Walton explained that once completed, the site will probably not be
visible from the road.
Mr. Chadbourne
also asked if septic systems would be used. Mr. Stalis replied that the units would
be hooked up to a sewer system, which is the reason for installing the pump
station. When Mr. Chadbourne asked
about a hook-up fee, he was told that each unit would have a fee of
approximately $2,500.00 for such purpose, which would be included with the
purchase of the unit.
When he asked
about taxes, Jerry Gingras explained that each unit owner would own
1/80th of the entire property and would be taxed for
1/80th of the land in addition to the taxes on the housing
unit.
Mr. Chadbourne
also asked about some of the unit specifics and learned that there will be
garage door openers, an option for propane fireplaces, and individual mailboxes
at the front of each unit.
Jim Rush, 31
Hall Hill Road, thought
that more people should have been made aware of the meeting and was concerned
that none of his neighbors were present or received individual
notification. Mrs. Carson explained
that notification of abutters is not required in this case and that a notice of
the meeting was published twice in the Journal Inquirer in accordance with State
Statutes as well as being posted on somersnow.com. There were also articles in the
newspapers.
Mr. Rush also
asked about emergency access for fire trucks and Mr. Stalis reminded him that an
emergency access entry has been planned behind Joanna’s
Café.
He inquired
about the buffer zone for abutting property owners and was told that all
building has been planned so as to provide at least an 80-foot buffer, as
regulated by the Town. He added
that a 35-foot tree buffer will be included along the property line, also as
regulated by the Town. This 35-foot
buffer will apply to the walking trail as well. He asked if arborvitaes and hemlocks
could be planted to add to the buffer, but Mr. Stalis noted that these tree
types are not suitable to the area agriculturally.
He also asked a
question about the sewer assessment, and Mrs. Carson recommended that he speak
with the Town Sanitarian regarding his inquiries on that subject, as such issues
were not under the purview of this Commission.
Jim
O’Donnell, 95 Hall Hill Road, noted that his property abuts the
parcel at 3 different sides and he operates a farm on his land. He is very concerned about the wildlife
in the area and requested that the borders along the parcel be kept as thick as
possible. He requested that a
portion of the walking trail be removed or re-located to provide an adequate
habitat for the wildlife and also to provide a better buffer for his property
line. He submitted a proposal which
outlined such a change and the Town Planner, Town Engineer, Landscape Architect,
Developers and Commissioners reviewed and discussed it. It was decided that the walking trail
would not be re-routed, but would be constructed with Mr. O’Donnell’ s concerns
in mind, and placed with as much space from Mr. O’Donnell’s property line as
possible. Mr. Strauss also noted
that the trail will only be 3 to 5 feet in width and designed for use as a
walking trail only which should have a minimum impact on the area because it
will encourage a nominal amount of foot traffic. Mr. Stalis noted that the design of the
trail does not provide for cutting down or thinning trees along its
pathway. In addition, the unit
owners may wish to create a buffer between their homes and the trail and
encourage vegetative growth even more in order to have such an effect. This will provide an increased buffer
effect for Mr. O’Donnell.
JoAnn
Batchelor, 85 Bridal Path, inquired about how far away the
southern portion of the project will be away from Main Street and Mr. Stalis
replied that it will be approximately 750 feet away and will connect into the
current asphalt area behind Joanna’s Café by way of the locked, gated emergency
access. Pedestrians will be able to
walk through the area, but it will be locked to everyday
traffic.
Thomas Lyman,
128 Shaker Road, asked
how deep the catch basins will be and whether they were expected to be adequate
and was told they would be 3 to 6 feet deep, which should be well-suited to meet
any potential need. Mr. Strauss
explained how the drains would work by holding any water runoff and then
releasing it slowly into the natural watercourses, thus avoiding any impact to
them. Mr. Stalis explained that the
water flow will actually be improved from its current situation once the project
is completed.
Mr. Lyman also
inquired as to the installation of stop signs or traffic lights on Shaker Road
and was told that no change will be necessary. A traffic study has been completed and
the impact is expected to be minimal.
He also asked if
a fence will be installed surrounding the development and what wattage of lights
will be used on the premises. No
fence is planned by the developer and 175 metal alloyed lighting is to be
installed. Mr. Strauss added that
the lighting will be within regulation which includes only 1/2 foot candles
which throw off about 25 feet of light from its source.
Phil Herbert,
48 Shaker Road,
commented that with the extra rains
recently water has been collecting on his property. Will this project increase that
problem. Mr. Stalis replied that
the project will not adversely effect drainage on Mr. Hebert’s
property.
Mr. Hebert also
noted that Shaker Road is already very dangerous and is concerned about this
project resulting in worsening driving conditions. He was told by First Selectman David
Pinney that the State of Connecticut currently has plans to reconstruct the
Shaker Road/190 intersection in the future.
Ann Levesque,
230 Four Bridges Road,
asked about the timetable for fixing the intersection and Mr. Pinney responded
that once the Town applies for the work to be done, a timetable will be set
up. He expects that it will now be
moved up on the list of priorities.
Mrs. Carson
noted that the Town attorney has suggested the public hearing not be closed this
evening so that a list of conditions can be discussed.
At 8:25 p.m., a
motion was made by Cliff Bordeaux, seconded by Brad Pellessier and unanimously
voted to continue the public hearing to the February 9, 2006 Planning meeting at
7:00 p.m. in the Town Hall.
Chairman Karl
Walton called the regular meeting to order at 8:32 p.m. Members Cliff Bordeaux, Brad Pellessier,
Karl Walton and Alternates Greg Genlot (seated for Mike Collins) and Georgeanne
Kuzman (seated for Michelle Hayward) were present and constituted a quorum. Town Planner Patrice Carson and Town
Engineer, Merv Strauss were also present.
III. OLD
BUSINESS
a.
Discussion/Possible Decision:
Special Use Permit Application for Age Restricted Housing, Shaker Road,
Gingras Development, LLC
This item was deferred because the public
hearing had not closed yet.
b.
Subdivision Application #390:
6-Lots, LaCabana Road (off Mountain View Road),
Jalbert
Mrs. Carson reported that the requested
abutter’s letters have been received, including the Morrills and the Vargos (who
have agreed to let the necessary work be done on their properties), Karen Clark
(who agreed to granting a Drainage Easement) and Machnicki (who agreed to having
a new driveway installed).
In addition, most of the comments from
Merv Strauss and Steve Jacobs have been addressed. However, the bond estimate is still
outstanding. Mr. Strauss noted that
he is still in need of a planting plan and explained to Mr. Jalbert that someone
in the landscaping field should be consulted to create a plan that includes
plantings that will stabilize the area to prevent erosion and maintain the
slopes. The plan needs to be
received by next Wednesday in order to set a public hearing for the next
meeting, should the Commission decide to move forward with a hearing at that
time.
Mr. Walton asked if there were any ill
effects on the property as a result of the recent storm and Mr. Strauss noted
that nothing serious was apparent.
A motion was made by Greg Genlot,
seconded by Brad Pellessier and unanimously voted to set a public hearing for
February 9, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Hall.
c.
2005/2006 Budget
Karl Walton met
with Dave Pinney and endorsed the proposed increase in salary for Merv Strauss
as well as discussing the cell phone concerns.
A motion was
made by Brad Pellessier, seconded by Georgeanne Kuzman and unanimously voted to
accept the budget as presented and forward it to the Board of
Selectmen.
d.
Other - No
other old business was presented.
A reminder was
given that the next POCD meeting is Monday, January 30, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. at
which time Mrs. Carson will present information on farm land
preservation.
No reports were
given.
VII.
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION - There was none.
A letter was
read from Marion Richard, Mountain Road, dated January 17,
2006.
A bill was
presented in the amount of $62.96 from the Journal Inquirer for the meeting of
December 8, 2005. A motion was made
by Greg Genlot, seconded by Brad Pellessier and unanimously voted to pay the
bill as presented.
A change was
made to the title portion of the January 12, 2006 minutes. The designation of “Special” Meeting was
changed to “Regular” Meeting. A
motion was made by Greg Genlot, seconded by Georgeanne Kuzman and unanimously
voted to approve the January 12, 2006 Planning minutes as
amended.
A motion was
made by Cliff Bordeaux, seconded by Georgeanne Kuzman, and unanimously voted to
adjourn the January 26, 2006 Planning meeting at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully
submitted,
Brad Pellissier,
Secretary
Robin Timmons, Recording Secretary
MINUTES ARE NOT OFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVAL
AT A SUBSEQUENT MEETING.