Update: Haberek Weighs In On Pawcatuck Condo Plan

A public hearing on a contentious plan for a 68-unit attached townhouse development in Pawcatuck has been rescheduled to Sept.
6.

Originally slated for tonight, the hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission is a continuation of testimony that began in June when the developer laid out the project and more than a dozen neighbors came to speak in opposition to it.

Their issues are that the proposal is not in keeping with the character of the neighborhood, will add too much additional traffic and blasting to remove ledge rock in anticipation of building could casue problems. The developer has offered to conduct pre-blast surveys at no cost to property owners.

Since the June hearing, concerned abutters and nearby neighbors to the 46-acre site near the intersection of Greenhaven
and Mary Hall roads in Pawcatuck have formed a group called ‘Love the Loop’ – a reference to the looping streets that connect the neighborhood.

Led by Mary Hall Road resident Peg Moran, the active lobby has taken to the Web with a blog spot, appeared on TV news, contacted local reporters, and written letters to the editor in an effort to stop the development.

And it recently conducted its own traffic assessment on a July Saturday morning in an effort to establish that the townhomes will generate additional traffic. They counted the number of cars and pedestrians during a two-hour period. Their data, they claim, demonstrates that the traffic consultant for the developer under-estimated traffic counts and at intersections other than Greenhaven and Mary Hall roads.

The following assessment was posted on their website: “Our neighborhood streets are already congested but to add the volume of attached housing may result in dangerous circumstances. Unlike other areas with this high volume of movements, our pedestrians have no sidewalks for safety.”

The group and neighbors were also concerned about recent survey work on the site, work that First Selectman Edward Haberek
Jr. reportedly said was agreed upon by the developer, planning department staff and residents at a meeting held last week. A representative for the developer had  no knowledge of such a meeting, but said the survey work was requested by the town and a resident.

After going to press, Haberek contacted Stonington-Mystic Patch to confirm that he met with neighbors and the town engineer, public works director and Planning and Zoning staff -- though not the developer Cherenzia Companies.

Haberek said they met with Moran and neighbors Neal Madden and Richard McKrell to discuss their concerns regarding several items of the Crescent Club Subdivision application.”

Haberek, who is listed as a member of the ‘Love the loop’ group on its website, said those concerns included an impartial hydrology study to analyze the impact of the blasting and invasive work in the area, the developer’s traffic and marketing studies, confirmation of Westerly Water-supplied areas, an archeology study and a number of other issues. He said he has instructed town staff to make sure the project application includes all relevant documents.

The Cherenzia proposal for the property owned by the Richard Panciera Remainder Trust II would have New England-style townhomes in a “village” setting, winding pathways, open space, a clubhouse, and pool and recreation area.

Panciera trust treasurer Thomas J. Ligouri Jr., who is also house counsel and treasurer for Cherenzia, said three years of study have gone into the proposal which has passed muster with the town’s Architectural Review Board and wetlands commission and it has all
required permits and approvals, he said.

Ligouri has said he is “confident” the project is in compliance with town zoning regulations.  He maintained that the plan would not have any greater impact on the neighborhood than would a “traditional single-family home subdivision.”

The September public hearing will be held at Mystic Middle School.