A Branford woman hopes to build 10 homes on land adjacent to the Beacon Hill Preserve, a 70-acre open-space site that was purchased by the town and state in 1990 following a decade of contention over proposed developments.
The land in the current proposal was not part of the controversy that surfaced in the 1980s. Developers at that time wanted to build on a 70 acre-tract of Beacon Hill in the Branford Hills section of town that includes pristine salt marshes surrounding a traprock ridge that affords views of Long Island Sound and New Haven Harbor.
During the ’80s, three separate proposals were defeated, partly through the efforts of a grassroots organization known as the Beacon Hill Preservation Society. In a precedent-setting move, the Branford Land Trust spearheaded a fund-raising campaign that enabled the town and state to preserve the property.
“It was the first fundraising project of the Land Trust,” said Jeff Clark, who was president of the organization during the two-year campaign. “It was the first time anybody tried to raise money for any preservation project in Branford … It sent a signal that this was a force to be reckoned with — that people want to preserve land.”Beacon Hill is part of the Metacomet Ridge, a unique geological area that stretches from Connecticut through Massachusetts. The Preserve is used for hiking and bird watching. The ridge is also a major migratory highway for birds.
The land now under consideration is a 10-acre site at 83 Rose Hill Road that was once used for a chicken farm and chicken processing facility. The site is owned by Susan Doing, the principal owner of Shearwater Properties Inc. She is seeking approval from the Inland Wetland Commission to build 10 single-family homes in an open-space subdivision that would be known as Beacon Hill Estates. The project has not yet been submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Environmental groups are questioning the advisability of building a housing complex in such close proximity to the Beacon Hill Preserve. The site abuts the preserve on two sides, and four of the homes are slated to be built on part of the ridge.
“The important natural resource on this property is the part on top of the ridge,” said local environmentalist Bill Horne. “That’s valuable open space that should be protected.”
Representatives of Shearwater Properties, however, claim the development would improve the site and enhance its wetlands.
During a public hearing in June, Attorney David Gibson, who represents Shearwater Properties, told the Inland Wetlands commissioners that the housing project would improve a distressed area and provide a buffer between the Preserve and residential-commercial areas. He said the open-space subdivision would allow residential lots to be smaller than a conventional plan because two areas of wetlands would be maintained.
Gibson said the open-space subdivision would result in less land disturbance and would “lessen the environmental impact” that a conventional plan could entail.
Susan Doing and her late husband purchased the property in 2004 for $549,000 from Mark A. Dilungo, who owned the land since 2001.She is also a realtor with Weichert-Shoreline in Branford. She said details about the size and price range of the homes would be a “future decision.”
Andrew Grundy, a project engineer with Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor, headquartered in Warren, N.J., told the Inland Wetlands that the development team met with town officials and staff over the past few years and refined the plans according to their suggestions.
Grundy said homes with two-car garages would be built on 5.7 acres, and a 30-foot wide paved road would connect the complex to Rose Hill Road. There are existing wetlands on 1.4 acres in the northern and southeastern corners of the property. A former residence on the property burned down, and there is still a concrete slab from the processing building.
Grundy said that 2,600 square-feet of the southern wetland area would be removed to build the roadway, but that an additional 5,400 square-feet of open space would be added to the northern wetland to compensate.
Jennifer Beno, a biologist with Soil Science and Environmental Services in Cheshire, told the IW commissioners (pictured) that the existing wetlands contain invasive plant species and have historically been used as illegal dumps for old appliances, barrels and tires. She said the wetland function was limited in previous years by the chicken farming business.
Beno said that any direct or indirect impact from the proposed development can be mitigated by creating and restoring the wetlands, resulting in an improvement to the site.
Bill Reynolds, president of the Land Trust, send a sent a letter to the commission stating that it would be problematic for town agencies to maintain the open space wetlands because of the nearness of the proposed homes.
Branford’s Open Space Authority in June said it would recommend that the town not accept the open space set-aside areas proposed in the plan because the areas would be too close to homes. In addition the Authority said the proposal does not set aside the westernmost side of the property which runs along the top of the Beacon Hill ridge, where some of the homes are also slated to be built.
Neighboring property owners (pictured) who attended the hearing questioned whether the development would increase drainage problems in the area. Thomas Santa Barbara, who owns commercial property to the north of the site, asked if there would be water runoff on his property. Santa Barbara is also co-owner of the Tabor property, which a trial court valued at $4.6 million in 2007. His case is on appeal before the Connecticut Supreme Court.
Susan Jones of 85 Rose Hill Road wanted to know if runoff would affect flooding that already occurs in her backyard during rainstorms. “If it’s a heavy rain, I wouldn’t say it’s a lake, but it’s flooded,” she said.
Chris Peterson, a member of the Friends of the Farm River Estuary, expressed concern about any possible impact on the ecosystem. “It seems like the slightest disturbance (in surrounding areas) ends up as erosion that ends up in the Farm River,” he told the commissioners. “We would beg you to really look at this carefully because it’s a fragile area.”
Gibson said he would address questions raised by the commission and residents when the hearing reconvenes July 23.
During an interview, environmentalist Horne, who is a member of the Branford Land Trust, said the western corner of the 10-acre site is important.
“We need to find some way to keep development from happening on top or on the sides of the ridge,” Horne said. He said the town and the state have already spent a considerable amount of money on the Beacon Hill Preserve. “Having houses so close to the area decreases the value of what we have protected,” Horne said.
In 1990, the state purchased the 70 acres for the Beacon Hill Preserve under the Department of Environmental Protection’s Recreation and Natural Heritage Trust Program. The state holds the title to the property and Branford and the Land Trust have the conservation easements to the area.
The state gave $1,350,000 toward the purchase of the 70 acres, and the town of Branford spent $850,000. The Branford Land Trust contributed $500,000 which included $110,000 in individual donations and a $390,000 grant from the George Dudley Seymour Trust.
The fight to protect Beacon Hill and the creation of the Preserve is a colorful history that was chronicled in newspapers since the 1980s. Many of the news clippings were catalogued by the Beacon Hill Preservation Society. Articles from the New Haven Register, Branford Review and New York Times give the following sequence of events:
• In 1982, developer Ralph Schwarz of Westport wanted to build 202 condos on land where the Preserve now stands. This triggered the formation of the Beacon Hill Preservation Society, a well-organized group of more than 100 families hoping to combat the ever-growing number of condominiums in Branford. Hundreds of residents voiced their opposition to the condos during lengthy hearings of the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Preservation Society was joined by representatives of other groups including the Branford Hills Civic Association, the Short Beach Association and the Stony Creek Association.
• In 1985, Prete Development Corp. proposed the South Shores development which would have resulted in a 6‑story retirement complex with 210 apartments for the elderly and a 120-bed nursing home.
• 1988, C.L.C. Partners of Shelton sought to built 78 single-family detached homes on the property.
• All three proposals failed and efforts to preserve the land grew stronger. That is when the Branford Land Trust began its campaign. Town governing boards approved using $850,000 toward the purchase of the property, but met a potential obstacle when the Taxpayers Party, founded by Dan Cosgrove, presented a petition requiring the issue be put to a referendum vote. Voters approved the purchase.
• In 1996, the state legislature passed the Ridgeline Protection Act, which provides local governments more power to limit development along trap rock ridges. This issue could be raised when the proposal comes before the Planning and Zoning Commission.
• In 1998, Branford was one of 17 towns that signed the Metacomet Ridge Conservation Compact to help preserve the ridges.
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After reading this article, I am beginning to believe that all of Branford land is at risk for contamination or is designated open space which certainly doesn't help our diminishing Grand List.My house was built on a former sheep farm, does sheep dung fall into the contaminaion category? Please advise!!!!!