Applicant presses for shared-driveway plan; intervenors ask commission to treat subdivision as a ‘significant impact’ case

Brookwood Hills LLC on Monday presented revised plans for access, stormwater controls and wetland and buffer restoration tied to a proposed nine‑lot subdivision at Brookwood Lane while town staff and intervenors questioned whether the application should be treated as a “significant impact” filing that requires detailed alternatives analysis.

The applicant’s attorney, Amy Sabotakis of Ritchie Law Group, told the New Canaan Inland Wetlands Commission the submission relies on use of an existing 14‑foot paved driveway that would be widened in places and that the latest engineering revisions eliminate wetland loss. “We have 0 wetlands being removed and more than 17,000 square feet of wetlands being restored,” Sabotakis said, and the team later described additional restoration that raises the total above 20,000 square feet.

The commission opened a public hearing on the application (Inland Wetlands‑24‑43‑82, Brookwood Lane) and, after questions from members and intervenors, agreed to continue the public hearing to the commission’s regular meeting on April 7 so participants can review newly posted materials.

Why it matters

The application asks the wetlands commission to allow driveway improvements and related stormwater work that will serve five of the nine proposed lots. Intervenors contend the driveway and the subdivision are linked: the driveway’s approval would make construction of the nine houses more likely, and therefore the commission should consider the foreseeable impacts of the subdivision as a whole when deciding whether the regulated activities “may have a significant effect” under state and local wetlands law.

What the applicant presented

Attorney Amy Sabotakis led the applicant’s presentation and said the proposal uses the existing driveway and minimizes new disturbance. Project engineer Leonard DeAndrea described a revised layout dated March 14–18…