MONROE, CT — The Inland Wetlands Commission will have a special meeting on a developer’s plan to build 90 single-family dwellings at 141 and 201 Turkey Roost Road on Tuesday, at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of Monroe Town Hall.
Residents may also attend the meeting via Zoom or by phone at 1-929-205-6099, Meeting ID 863 8438 1870, Passcode: 875043.
Known as the Renz pond property, it was the site of an illegal quarry in 1952, with the activity going on for several decades, damaging the land and wetlands, while sparking a long history of litigation.
In 2010, the 106-plus-acre property had town land use approvals for a 90-unit age 55-and-older community, but it was never built and the approvals expired.
Aside from a new wetlands approval, the applicant, Quarry Ridge Associates, wants to lift the age restriction and build 5,570 linear feet of roadway to access the housing.
During the commission’s last meeting on Nov. 9, Russell Dirienzo, principal geologist for Arcadis in Sandy Hook, who was hired by the commission as an independent consultant for a hearing on the application, spoke.
Dirienzo said he read through the files and planned to walk the property with the town engineer the next day and have a report for the commission by Tuesday, Nov. 15.
He expressed his opinion that not enough information has been submitted by the applicant.
“The fact that it was approved years ago doesn’t matter,” he said of the housing plan. “This is a new application. In the presence of a public hearing the commission cannot approve this if a feasible and prudent alternative exists. That needs to be done.”
“Therefore, the applicant’s stance on not providing a prudent alternative plan because of the prior approval is unreasonable,” meeting minutes said.
Dirienzo said the previous application included outdated methods of determining stormwater runoff, adding the new plan must comply with current, updated methods that meet Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection requirements.
Dirienzo said he would like more detail and answers from the applicant’s team.
Town Planner Rick Schultz recommended holding a special meeting and the public hearing was continued to this coming Tuesday, Nov. 22.
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We do love our illegally quarrying operations with a promise to build tax generating properties that never come to fruition. So let’s build more houses filled with children to boost our tax education liability.