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Commission seeks engineer certification after homeowners modify lakeside wall; Terry Wild Lake Road application tabled
Summary
Applicant Gene Matera sought approval for a modified stacked-stone wall near Terry Wild Lake. Commissioners asked for a survey, signed and sealed engineer review verifying the wall matches the stamped design, removal of unsuitable fill and drainage and planting plans; they tabled the application.
The Environmental Impact Commission on March 12 reviewed a modification of a stacked-stone wall at Terry Wild Lake (regulated activity 12375) and directed the applicant to supply a stamped engineer certification, a surveyed wall profile and corrected fill and drainage plans before the commission acts.
Applicant Gene Matera said he raised the wall and graded his yard to make it safer and more usable; he described a plan to level yards and install an iron fence. Commissioners and staff pressed for an engineer's letter confirming the wall as-built matches the design. One commissioner said he wanted “to see his stamp that says that wall is great,” underscoring the commission’s insistence on a licensed engineer’s certification.
Staff also noted concerns: plans on file were not signed and sealed, visible construction did not match some plan details (steel shown on plan but not observed in the field), and inspector comments indicated seepage and weep-hole performance questions. Commissioners observed woody debris and concrete fragments mixed into fill and recommended removal of unsuitable material and documentation that the wall meets City of Danbury standards.
Commissioners raised an additional site-control issue: an in-ground pool close to the wall could increase loads and requires a construction-sequence plan and equipment staging details. Staff said docks and lake access may belong to a homeowners association and asked the applicant to provide deed or HOA information to verify dock permissibility.
The commission voted to table the application to the next scheduled meeting so the applicant could submit a stamped engineer letter certifying the wall, a surveyed top and bottom-of-wall elevation, a signed-and-sealed drainage plan, and a planting plan. Staff will review submitted materials and return recommendations to the commission.
