Diana Stricker Photo
Commissioners and John Rusatsky and Richard Orson.
Members of Branford’s Inland Wetlands Commission are taking recent history into account as they deliberate a proposed housing project on Gould Lane. They are asking the developer to consider the impact of super storms on drainage and flooding issues.
“We’re getting 50- and 100-year storms all the time,” said Commissioner Richard Orson. Current town standards require developers to design drainage structures to withstand 25-year storms; Orson said recent superstorms have resulted in widespread flooding in various sections of town. He said the frequency of storms in the past few years has caused the commission to become a “bit over-cautious.”
Public hearings on the project were held July 1 and Aug. 8, and will continue at the Sept. 12 Inland Wetlands meeting.
The land in question is a 25-acre property at 47 Gould Lane, near Exit 56, that is owned by Joe Capasso and his son Carmine Capasso, who are also the developers. They are proposing a 30-home upscale development with 21 single-family traditional homes, and a cluster of nine single-family homes that would be a condominium association. The project would be an open space residential subdivision, which would preserve existing wetlands as open space.
Commission chair Daniel Shapiro said he is particularly concerned with drainage and storm water runoff from the western side of the property where the wetlands are located.
Project engineer Dan Kroeber (pictured). of Milone & MacBroom Inc. in Cheshire, said the plans meet the town’s 25-year-storm standards in that area, and exceed the standards in other areas. He said they looked at the possible effect of a 100-year-storm on the western side and said there could be up to 3 inches of standing water on the roads but it would drain as soon as the rains stopped because of the proposed drainage system.
“I’m not fond of increasing any water onto the town road,” Shapiro said.
Scarred Land If Projects Fail
The commissioners are also concerned about the schedule for site work, stating other projects have gone belly-up after the land was prepped and trees were cut.
“We can’t get back a 100-year-old tree,” Orson said, adding that he has seen projects fail, leaving scarred land. He asked if there is a minimum number of lots that must be sold before site work and tree cutting begins.
Shapiro said he wants to see structured phasing plans for the site work to show a timeline of how the work will progress.
“You could clear the entire site and not have houses going in for years,” said Diana Ross, head of the Inland Wetland and Natural Resources Department.
Kroeber said it could be difficult to determine the number of lots that must be sold before site work proceeds, but he said a more detailed phasing plan could be developed. “We’ll put a plan together,” he told the commission.
Ross said she is also concerned about who will do long-term maintenance on the retention basins and other areas. She asked for more specific information about the basins.
Shapiro suggested the developers put money in reserve in case there are problems with the drainage system in the future.
A few neighbors spoke up at the July and August public hearing to voice concerns about the possibility of storm water runoff onto their properties. The site is bounded by Gould Lane, which leads to Leetes Island Road; Acorn Road, Lomatra Lane, and Beechwood Road.
Kroeber also displayed revised drainage plans at the recent hearing that addressed concerns of the commission and neighbors that were raised at the previous hearing. He said engineers met with Howard Gilchrist of Lomatra Lane, who was concerned about storm water that currently flows onto his property.
“This was a good opportunity to help them out,” Kroeber said, as he outlined two revisions that he said will help the current situation.
“We’re confident we’re going to handle the erosion that is there now and make drainage much better,” Kroeber said.
Bill Horne, chair of the acquisition committee of Branford’s Land Trust, said the committee is interested in taking ownership of the wetlands on the western side of the property. However, he said he,too, is concerned about drainage issues.
The project would be subject to approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission. An open space residential development is a special exception that allows modification of lot area, shape and setback requirements if the proposal meets specific open space requirements.
Landfill Closing
In other business, the Inland Wetlands Commission unanimously approved work at the town’s landfill on Tabor Drive, with a stipulation that a revised grading plan be submitted. Plans for the main area of the landfill, about 17 acres, will be used for passive recreation, such as walking, bird-watching, and enjoying the view.
“This is the final closing of the landfill,” said Dan McGowan (pictured), head of the Solid Waste and Recycling Department. He said the final six inches of soil will be placed on the last area of the landfill to be capped.
The landfill has not accepted solid waste for a couple of decades and only accepted construction materials in recent years. Several areas of the landfill have already been capped. Officials have said the landfill area will continue to be monitored for contaminants even after the capping is complete.
McGowan asked the commission for permission to grade a road leading to the top of the landfill, demolish an old building and create a gravel walkway when the capping is done. There will also be benches and a gazebo. The plans must also be approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The landfill parcel is adjacent to the 77-acre Tabor property that the town seized through eminent domain in 2003 because of proximity to the contaminated landfill. Lengthy lawsuits ensued, which were eventually resolved in the town’s favor.
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