About 25 Ansonia residents attended a public hearing at City Hall Monday about a developer’s application to put 10 homes on a 16-acre property off Castle Lane.
But the developer and his lawyer were not among them, having sent the commission a letter asking the commission to continue the hearing so they have time to address feedback they’ve already gotten from the city regarding the proposal.
The commission voted unanimously to continue the hearing to Dec. 17, but still took comments Monday from more than a half-dozen residents — none of whom endorsed the application.
Background
Developer Mark Romano first proposed developing the land in August 2011, but the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission denied the application after an outcry from neighbors opposed to it.
The developer appealed, but a judge sided with the PZC.
Last January Romano revised his plans in scope and formally submitted a new application for the property in June.
But at a public hearing in August the zoners deemed the application incomplete and rejected it.
After what Romano’s lawyer, Dominick Thomas, called a “productive staff session” with city officials, the developer refined the application and submitted it again Sept. 17.
Hearing
Thomas sent the PZC a letter Monday saying his client would be willing to extend the public hearing for 65 days “in an effort to address all comments from your staff and to continue discussions with corporation counsel.”
Those comments include concerns raised by Public Works Director Douglas Novak regarding plowing snow on the proposed dead-end street.
“Plowing dead end streets are time consuming and also a deterrent for snow storage,” Novak wrote, recommending that the road be instead extended and connected to Granite Terrace.
Novak also wondered whether the road is wide enough to accommodate snow plowing.
Fire Marshal Ralph Tingley has also asked for more information concerning a 30,000 gallon underground cistern the developer is proposing to build for access by firefighters.
And two consultants to whom the plans were referred by the PZC have asked dozens of questions regarding the application concerning erosion control, drainage, and grading on the site.
Public Comments
More than a half-dozen residents who spoke during Monday’s hearing expressed concerns about the developer’s plans.
Click the play button on the video above to see some of the comments.
David Connelly, a North Prospect Street Extension resident, said he was mainly concerned with wells.
“We have wells already in place and some of them are marginal at best,” Connolly said, wondering whether 10 more homes could tap into the water table without others’ wells running dry. “There’s nothing above us to resupply that water. We’re at the top of the mountain.”
His water use concerns were echoed by other residents of North Prospect Street Extension, as well as Castle Lane.
Edward Musante, a Castle Lane resident, pointed out there are back taxes owed on the property — a little more than $3,000, according to numbers on the tax collector’s online billing system.
The developer shouldn’t be able to get approvals without paying them, Musante said.
David Lyon, who also lives on Castle Lane, pointed out two other houses in the neighborhood sat vacant for years before being sold last year.
“You couldn’t give the houses away in foreclosure,” he said. “Building houses, what’s the market for them at this time? There seems to be more houses for sale than needed.”
Continued
After hearing from the public, the commission voted unanimously to continue the hearing to Dec. 17 at 6 p.m., at which time they said they anticipate getting more information in a presentation from Romano and Thomas.
After the developer’s presentation, residents will again be afforded the right to comment on the application.
See the video below to hear Joseph Jaumann, the commission’s chairman, explain the process.
