Neighbors press wetlands, floodplain and E&S concerns at Mile Lane public hearing on new house

An applicant team and several residents pressed competing views at a public hearing before the Middletown Inland Wetland and Watercourse Agency on a proposal to build a single-family house on Mile Lane (item W2024-11).

Jim Cassidy, a professional engineer with Halsey, Pearson & Cassidy, presented revised plans and said the 7.0-acre lot contains approximately 4.79 acres of wetlands flagged in June. He said the proposed house would sit roughly 400 feet from Mile Lane on a plateau with a proposed basement floor elevation of 43 feet — about 7 feet above the 100-year flood elevation mapped nearby — and that the project would require two 15-inch culverts under a new 12-foot driveway to cross two narrow wetland seeps. "To develop this property, we would need to have activities in the Upland Review Area and also direct activities in the wetlands," Cassidy said.

Cassidy described sanitary service delivered to the house by a small pump station and a low-pressure force main to reduce excavation depth near wetlands; he also said footing drains and a sump pump discharging to a splash pad are proposed to avoid gravity connections toward the brook. He said he redelineated wetlands this year and that the line was similar to the 2006 delineation previously accepted by the commission. He estimated the proposed disturbance for driveway and house at about 32,780 square feet and said roughly 90% of the lot would remain in natural condition.

Neighbors raised technical and environmental concerns. Resident David Winkle asked why FEMA flood elevations on the applicant’s plan showed 36–39 feet in places he said differ from other mapping for the same watercourse; Cassidy responded that FEMA maps vary along the sloping brook and that the survey overlays FEMA mapping on the property. Emily Gresch of Mile Lane urged stronger protections for the wetlands and biodiversity, said she had reported a suspected bald-eagle nest to federal agencies and warned of increasing flood frequency. Gerard Scagliola, a directly abutting neighbor, expressed concerns about surveyors, marked tree clearing and the visual impact of a new driveway near his house; Cassidy said the driveway opening will be about 15 feet wide in the frontage with a 12-foot paved drive and that once past an initial clearing the house and remainder of the driveway would be obscured by trees.

Commissioners asked about erosion-and-sediment (E&S) controls, the planned temporary sediment-trap locations during construction, riprap outlet protection and whether a Natural Diversity Database/species assessment had been performed; Cassidy said he did not find a wildlife-specific report in the delineation packet and was willing to consider additional measures the commission may require. Staff noted that E&S controls must be installed and inspected before construction begins and that the town engineer would calculate any required bond amounts.

The commission closed the public hearing by voice vote. Staff said it would draft a motion with stipulations reflecting comments from the public and the applicant for consideration at the October meeting.