Public hearing on 19‑lot Brewer Street subdivision continued after residents raise drainage and traffic concerns

The Planning & Zoning Commission of the Town of East Hartford continued the public hearing on a proposed subdivision that would carve 19 single‑family lots from parcels behind 215 and 231 Brewer Street.

Andrea Gomes, counsel for Brewer Development LLC, told the commission the application seeks combined preliminary and final subdivision approval to create 19 single‑family lots, add a new town road (proposed name: Eastwood Circle), and donate about 6.3 acres of the site to the town for permanent open space. Gomes said the applicant accepts the technical staff comments and proposed conditions, and noted the matter has been through wetlands review earlier this year. She also recorded for the record that Commissioner Resinski resigned on April 8, 2026, after a recusal request had been filed.

In a detailed engineering presentation, Gareth Wilson of BL Companies described the site plan, stormwater and grading strategy and four requested waivers to the subdivision regulations. Wilson said the design includes two bioretention basins, a series of perforated infiltration pipes, and emergency overflows engineered to handle a 100‑year storm. He said the plan adds stormwater treatment where there was none, reduces the drainage area feeding a natural depression near Jefferson Lane by roughly one acre, and meets or exceeds applicable town subdivision rules and the Connecticut Stormwater Quality Manual.

Many residents who live on Jefferson Lane, Handle Road and nearby streets urged the commission not to allow east–west cut‑throughs that would turn a cul‑de‑sac into a through street. Rochelle Bridal, who lives two houses from the Jefferson end, told the commission she has lived in the neighborhood for decades and said, “I still think we’re going to have a water problem in that corner when they build that road… I would expect somebody else to be responsible if there’s damage.” Other speakers described sump pumps that run constantly and said groundwater infiltration has been a persistent problem in the neighborhood.

Residents’ public comments emphasized three linked concerns: (1) increasing traffic and the safety risk of new curb cuts or a Handle–Jefferson connection; (2) the high local groundwater table and whether added infiltration will worsen interior flooding for existing homes; and (3) late arrival of waiver documents and related materials, which several commissioners said left them inadequate time to review before the hearing.

Commissioners questioned the applicant and staff about the timing of uploaded documents, the four waiver requests (side lot line length, minimum pipe cover, pipe material under roadways, and localized rear‑yard slopes), sewer and hydrant placements, tree buffer and landscaping locations, and the implications of a previously submitted FEMA Letter of Map Amendment referenced by the applicant. Town engineering staff (Doug Wilson and Alex Rehilo) said they had reviewed plans and recommended conditions and noted the local traffic authority also favored the proposed road configuration as the preferred option for future connectivity and emergency access.

Several commissioners asked for a limited independent review focused on flooding and drainage in the immediate area, while others cautioned that a broader “bird’s‑eye” watershed study would exceed this application’s scope. Applicant counsel said staff and applicant would work to provide documents in a timely fashion and did not oppose a reasonable continuance.

Outcome: the commission voted to continue the public hearing to April 22 to allow time for further review of the waivers, requested plan clarifications and staff materials; commissioners signaled they will consider whether a narrowly scoped independent engineering review is necessary before any final action.