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Planning commission approves two‑lot subdivision at 140 Willow Street with drainage easement
Summary
Ridgewood Properties LLC received approval for a two‑lot rear‑lot subdivision at 140 Willow Street; the commission noted required easements, removal of structures over a town drainage pipe, infiltration testing and prior Inland Wetlands and WPCA approvals.
The Town of Cheshire Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday approved a two‑lot subdivision for Ridgewood Properties LLC at 140 Willow Street, a property in the R‑20 zone.
Applicant representatives told the commission the existing 1.56‑acre parcel would be divided into a 0.733‑acre frontage lot and a 0.826‑acre rear lot. The commission’s approval follows prior approvals from the Inland Wetlands Commission (granted 07/15/2025) and the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA feasibility approval, 07/24/2025), documents the applicant provided at the hearing.
Todd Ritchie, a licensed professional engineer with SLR representing Ridgewood, described the site as sloping roughly 20 feet from the north property line down to Willow Street, with an intermittent watercourse along the southern portion of the lot. Ritchie said the rear lot would be served by a shared access easement at least 50 feet wide, including a 15‑foot paved driveway and a 50‑foot paved turnaround, and that an underground infiltration stormwater system has been designed and reviewed by the town engineer. "The application includes the proposed subdivision of the existing 1.56 acre property into 2 lots. So lot 1 would be 0.733 acres ... and Lot 2 ... is 0.826 acres," Ritchie said.
Commissioners questioned drainage and an existing buried 18‑inch reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) that carries an intermittent stream under existing structures. The applicant said a detached garage and part of a house currently sit over that town pipe and that those structures would be removed to provide the town an easement for future maintenance. Michael Dzic (address stated on the record), representing the property owner for the record, confirmed the portions to be removed: "The portion of the house that's going to exist is concrete, and the part of the house that will be removed was cinder block."
Town staff and several commissioners urged a camera inspection of the buried pipe before demolition. The applicant told the commission they did not camera the pipe but inspected both ends visually and believed it to be in good condition. The applicant agreed the demolition and work would be inspected by the town’s engineering and building staff when demo and new-construction permits are sought and contractors will be licensed and bonded.
Ritchie said on-site infiltration testing had been performed for the proposed driveway and underground infiltration system. He also confirmed two easements would be recorded: a 50‑foot access easement to serve both lots and a 25‑foot drainage easement centered on the existing town pipe for maintenance access.
Commissioners asked whether the front house would be retained as a rental; the applicant said no final decision had been made. The fire marshal reported the rear‑lot access met the town’s regulations. Public comment was not offered during the hearing. After discussion, the commission voted to approve the subdivision. The motion noted the approval is based on the SLR plans dated and submitted with a revision date 07/11/2025 and stated the application demonstrated compliance with Cheshire subdivision regulations.
The commission recorded a roll-call vote of 8‑1‑0 in favor of approval. Members raised concerns during debate about rear‑lot provisions generally and signaled interest in tightening rear‑lot rules in future regulation updates.
