The Simsbury Conservation Commission on Dec. 16 approved application CC‑25‑29 for construction of a driveway and associated grading and drainage in the upland review area of a proposed single‑family home at Westledge Road.

The application, filed by agent Michael Segan for owners Thomas and Molly Rutledge, covers activity confined to the Upland Review Area and does not include filling or excavation in the wetlands themselves, the project team told the commission. Mike Segan, a principal at Richter & Segan, said the Simsbury portion of the parcel is roughly 70 acres and that the driveway follows an old logging road to minimize disturbance. Landscape, civil and wetland consultants described revegetation plans and erosion controls intended to limit short‑term impacts.

Eric Davidson, wildlife biologist and wetland scientist, described two on‑site wetlands: a large headwater wetland formed by hillside groundwater seeps and a small historic, anthropogenic wetland by the road. He said the development was designed to avoid direct wetland impacts and, using a conservative vernal‑pool analysis, estimated that post‑development the vernal‑pool habitat would remain largely intact.

Tom Grimaldi, the project civil engineer, outlined phased erosion‑and‑sedimentation controls, temporary sediment traps, vegetated swales and infiltration basins sized to treat water quality up to the 100‑year storm. The consultants said all roof leaders would be piped to underground infiltration systems and that basins are designed to drain within 48 hours under normal conditions.

The applicant quantified the regulated‑area activity as about 0.81 acres in total: roughly 0.52 acres associated with driveway construction and drainage with direct ground activity and about 0.29 acres of selective clearing without ground disturbance above the smaller wetland. Segan emphasized that that there are no direct wetland soil impacts proposed.

After questions from commissioners about a 16‑foot cut near the driveway entrance, tree sizes to be planted, deer protection for young trees and meadow mowing frequency, the commission closed the public hearing and approved the permit based on findings that there would be no direct wetland soils impacts, that short‑term impacts would be controlled by erosion‑sediment controls and construction runoff measures, and that best practices to minimize vernal‑pool impacts would be followed and enforced through staff conditions.

A commissioner asked the applicant to consider alternating mowing across meadow areas (mowing portions in different years) to support insect and amphibian life; that recommendation was added to the staff conditions. The transcript records the commission voting in favor of the approval; the precise roll‑call tallies were not specified in the record provided.

The approval includes standard erosion, sediment control and revegetation conditions and requires the applicant to follow the planting and stormwater specifications presented to the commission.