Some residents in Hamden have some big concerns about plans to bring hundreds of new apartments to the town.
The zoning application process for the project is already taking place. The proposed build site is along Rocky Top Road, which is a winding and very narrow street surrounded by woods and sloping terrain.
Debra Finn lives on Rainbow Court, which runs into Rocky Top Road. She said she does not want her neighborhood of thirty four years to change.
“This is just not suitable for our area," said Finn. She said the plans to build a 288 unit apartment complex in the area of 64 Rocky Top Road would destroy her quaint and quiet neighborhood.
“I can’t even imagine what that will do to not only my house but my neighbors," she said.
Dozens of residents were at town hall on Wednesday night as a lawyer for developer, Mountain View Estates LLC, presented plans for the project to the Hamden Inland Wetlands Commission. Attorney Stephen Studer declined to be interviewed by NBC Connecticut.
Neighbors who attended the meeting had concerns about major excavation work, runoff, noise and the hundreds of additional vehicles that would be using Rocky Top Road on a daily basis. The road is very narrow; just fourteen feet across in some locations.
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“Right now you have to slow to five miles per hour to get past each other without scraping your cars," said Tim Mack. “We’re hoping to have this plan stopped or at least scaled down to a reasonable alternative," he said.
The approximately eighteen acre site is located between Shepard Avenue and Sherman Avenue, adjacent to Quinnipiac University's York Hill Campus.
Members of the public were welcome to attend Wednesday evening's meeting but they were not allowed to voice their concerns to the Inland Wetlands Commission. They will have their chance to do so at a public meeting scheduled for March 1.
The Inland Wetlands Commission will conduct an inspection of the site of the project on February 25 at 2 p.m. weather permitting. Hamden's Planning and Zoning Commission is also reviewing the developer's zoning application.
