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Country Club of New Canaan wins approval for driving-range and 18th-hole renovations; drainage and buffer improvements included
Summary
The Inland Wetlands Commission approved the Country Club of New Canaan's multi-phase renovation of its driving range and eighteenth hole, adding rain gardens and native meadow buffers, conditioned on final inspection reports and pre-construction erosion-control coordination.
The New Canaan Inland Wetlands Commission unanimously approved a multi-phase renovation of the Country Club of New Canaan on June 16 that will rebuild and regrade the driving range, restore the 18th hole to historic design elements, remove an existing greenskeeper's house and septic, and add water quality measures and buffer habitat improvements.
Attorney Steve Finn and wetland scientist Bill Kenny presented the plan on behalf of the Country Club. Kenny said most proposed alterations occur on land already maintained as lawn and that the project emphasizes removing existing impervious area where possible, adding a rain garden to treat runoff from cart parking, and converting some maintained lawn near wetlands to a low-maintenance fescue meadow to reduce fertilizer and pesticide need. The plan calls for no net import/export of earth for the major regrades (an estimated 11,500 cubic yards of balanced on-site earthwork) and a limited import of about 2,500 cubic yards of sand and gravel for bunkers and greens construction.
Kenny and commission members discussed four construction phases (two phases this fall and two next spring), the project's erosion controls and quick stabilization via sod (the team emphasized that new sod provides fast erosion control), and invasive species control in an isolated pocket wetland noted on the property. Director Holland recommended a special condition that the landscape architect and wetland scientist inspect and submit a final compliance report upon completion, and also suggested a pre-construction erosion-control meeting with the contractor. Commissioner Sandy Redden moved to approve IW-25-26 with those special conditions; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
The commission also noted that the Health Department will oversee proper abandonment of the existing septic system, and that Planning & Zoning (excavation/fill permit) and Board of Selectmen contract approvals will be pursued as appropriate during the club's construction schedule. The applicant said timing is tied to contractor availability and the club hopes to begin key work in September to allow soding before winter.
