KENT, Conn.— The Inland Wetlands Commission got a second look Monday night, March 23, at developing plans for a major housing project planned for the large meadow adjacent to town hall
James Millstein of Kent, managing member of Kent Housing Development, introduced the plan before turning the presentation over to his design team. He noted that they had approached the IWC for a pre-application consultation and were not presenting a completed plan for review.
The Planning and Zoning Commission has reviewed the plan and will take it to a public hearing Monday, March 30, at 7 p.m. at town hall.
The plan calls for 14 multi-unit buildings grouped at the north end of the 12.5-acre parcel that, if approved, would provide an additional 80 dwelling units, approximately 15 of which would be classified as affordable.
Millstein said planning for the site has been complicated by a drainage swale or ditch that bisects the property, collecting water from the hillside condos north of Kent Green, running under the green and then the full length of the 12-plus acre lot. It exits under Maple Street Ext., pushes on under the railroad tracks and Route 341 before again surfacing in a stream that eventually enters the Housatonic River.
“We had a long discussion about what to do with it,” Millstein said. “When the town created its housing incentive zone, it contemplated that the channel would be diverted to border the property around the western side. We concluded, after a lot of discussion, that the path of least resistance is to leave in its current location and avoid having to deal with state and federal agencies [the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers].”
Jay Fain, an environmental consultant from Fairfield, described the field’s characteristic as being flat and composed of “very well-drained” soils.
“In my professional opinion, moving it is not practical because, if we reduced the gradient of the stream, we might lose the stream and the water might just infiltrate [the soils],” he said.
There is no question that the ditch is manmade but he said has been unable to learn when it was created. It was evident in aerial photos taken in 1934, which, he said, “Is a conundrum because old farms didn’t do that.”
The ditch acts more as a aqueduct because its culverts rise to above ground level. “The water has to rise up to get out of the field,” Fain explained, which causes water to pool at the southern end when there are storms. The only practical solution, he continued, is to leave it and avoid development at the southern end.
“I strongly feel it can be a real feature for the property,” he said.
The channel would follow the line of a proposed road, with future walkways and native plantings enhancing the appearance for the neighborhood.
The areas to be planted would be about 20 feet deep and would have some shrubbery as well as native wildflowers and grasses. The open meadow below the concentration of buildings will also be maintained on a regular basis with invasives removed and native growth allowed.
Commissioners asked who would be responsible for maintenance of the land and Millstein explained that a private housing aassociation composed of owners of the units would be charged with the task.
IWC Chairman Lynn Werner asked if the open field would be permanently protected from development through an easement and Millstein said that “is the current expectation.”
The homeowners’ association would be give guidelines as to how frequently the fields and other areas should be mowed and it was suggested that the maintenance requirements could be “built into whatever permit you are given so it would be on the land records.”
Fain said that typically his company works with homeowners’ associations for a couple of years “so they understand what to do. If it is done correctly, it’s beautiful and offers habitat for different types of birds and animals. Open space is so, so important.”
“We haven’t figured out what we will plant,” he continued, but suggested sedge grasses and wildflowers. The plants would help to slow water entering the watercourse and would lessen erosion and sedimentation downstream.
Stormwater management will be a key consideration in any permit granted for the site as the creation of paved parking areas and runoff from the 14 roofs will naturally increase the amount of water to be handled. There will also be one vehicular crossing of the watercourse and pedestrian bridges.
The design team members predicted that the two footpaths will have little impact and speculated that they may have pervious surfaces such as mown grass or gravel. “Mown paths would be my preference,” said Fain, explaining that mown areas can be moved around, creating greater interest for pedestrians.
“There’s a lot of opportunity to do something interesting,” Fain said. “I’ve had a lot of experience with meadows, and we will try to do it so it is nice—but it will require a management plan.”
Millstein noted that John Casey, who formerly owned the property, has given the Kent Land Trust an easement on nine acres of hillside land he retained northeast side of the land. A walking trail open to all residents will be created there.
Dainius L. Virbickas, P.E., of Artel Engineering in Brookfield, said that stormwater management on the site is “almost easy on one hand, and difficult on the other.”
“The property is so darn flat,” he explained. “There is only a shallow pitch from north to south, so we thought we would take care of roof drainage with an underground plastic infiltration system.”
Grading around the buildings and roads would be raised to create more “freeboard,” raising the sides of the channel so water would not flood during heavy storms.
And an arched structure that could be decorated with stone has been discussed for the vehicular crossing, a design that would require only strip footings on either side well away from the stream. “That would not be intrusive,” he explained.
Different ways to collect runoff from the paved surfaces are being discussed. “I feel confident that the water will infiltrate and function much better than it does now,” he predicted.
“We will have more questions when we know how much water there will be and where it will flow,” said Werner.
