Politics & Government

West Hartford Commission Approves Independent Study for Controversial Residential Development

Public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 2 for development that calls for a 12-lot subdivision on 5.53 acres of land behind the American School for the Deaf.

The controversial proposal to construct a 12-lot residential subdivision on 5.53 acres of land behind the American School for the Deaf has been set for a public hearing before the plan & zoning commission on Dec. 2.

Sard Custom Homes originally proposed constructing the subdivisions on 9 acres of land with a public hearing to take place on Monday. That application, however, was withdrawn with a new proposal filed with the town on Oct. 25.

The commission not only set a new public hearing date, but it also voted in favor of commissioning an independent study to determine the impact of the project on the wetlands.

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It was a move so rare, commissioner Jeffrey Daniels said that he could not recall ever having invoked the regulation in the 9 years that he has sat on the commission. Daniels said that it has only been considered once during that time, with regard to an application from the JCC to build “an extensive new facility on wetlands.”

The commission did not invoke the regulation and approved the application, only to have the Army Corps of Engineers reject the mitigation plan later, Daniels said.

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The provision, according to P&Z Chairman Kevin Ahern said that the zoning regulation only calls for independent studies in “extraordinarily” large projects that could have significant impacts on the environment or traffic.

Still, commissioners, over the objections of attorney Lewis Wise, who is representing the developer, believed it to be a right course of action, given that the proposed development is near wetlands and is in the proximity of a brook.

“The number of houses is large and I do think the situation is fairly extraordinary because it’s in proximity to wetlands which are in conjunction to other wetlands,” commissioner Liz Gillette said. “This is not an isolated wetland. … I think this application fits the regulation.”

Commissioner Paul Freeman agreed.

“I disagree in terms of attorney Wise’s letter that there is nothing extraordinarily large or significant about this,” Freeman said. “That’s not the case. It’s a no-brainer that this is the kind of  application we’d want [independent] input on. There is a large, legitimate watercourse [nearby] and anyone can walk up and say, 'This is a brook.'"

After the vote, Wise hastily left the meeting room at Town Hall without providing comment to a reporter’s request.

“Not now,” he said tersely.

Neighbors of the parcel where the subdivision would be built were pleased with the commission’s decision.

“The plan & zoning commission seems to be taking the matter seriously,” said Eric Geigle. “We appreciate the attention. [The independent study] is something we have been asking for for a while.”


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