Neighbors:
As you’ve probably heard there is a subdivision proposal pending before the Guilford Planning and Zoning Commission for a tract of land on the north side of Rte 146 stretching from the “Crabbing Hole” to the small white center chimney Cape just east of the Pelatiah Leete House. The owner, Mr. Knapp, is proposing that three building lots be permitted on this very sensitive property.
It will be important for residents to let the P&Z know of your opposition to this proposal at tomorrow evening’s public hearing (Wednesday, 7:30 pm via Zoom — https://us06web.zoom.us/j/6396320192).
Let me begin by saying that this proposed subdivision would be very damaging to the environmental and visual qualities of this stretch of Leetes Island Road, which is state designated Scenic Road and National Historic District. This property also contains a number of endangered and rare plant and bird species that would be threatened by housing development on this property. Development would also damage the scenic qualities of Lost Lake and the surrounding West Woods conservation area. For all these reasons this proposal should be rejected by the P&Z.
While the P&Z cannot prevent this property from being subdivided, it can reduce the number of proposed lots to protect the property’s environmental and visual resources. And it can attach conditions to the subdivision designed to minimize damage to these resources.
Also, we wouldn’t be surprising to learn that Mr. Knapp is proposing to maximize the number of building lots to increase the value of the property if the Guilford Land Conservation Trust or Town of Guilford were to propose acquiring the property for land conservation purposes. I understand that the GLCT would acquire the property if it were offered at a reasonable price. (As a not-for-profit group, the Trust would need to raise these funds from private contributions.)
Last Friday the Scenic Roads Advisory Committee (on which I am one of the Town of Guilford’s representatives) met via Zoom with Mr Knapp (the developer) and his engineer to discuss Knapp’s proposed subdivision. We met to discuss the conditions the Advisory Committee would recommend be adopted by the Guilford Planning & Zoning Commission in its review of Knapp’s subdivision.
We did not learn prior to this meeting that the P&Z can reduce the number of lots to protect significant environmental and scenic resources, so this was not one of our recommendations. We understand that there are a number of endangered plant and bird species present on this property. And, of course, the entire frontage is part of the state Scenic Road designation and inappropriate development would damage the visual quality of the road and the adjoining historic Leete Farm.
At this meeting the Scenic Roads AC recommended that the P&Z attach these conditions to the subdivision review:
• Confirmation with ConnDOT that it will accept the location of driveway curb cuts on the proposed two eastern-most lots, both of which violate the State’s sight line safety requirements. (Please note that to meet this standard would probably require removal of the granite ledge on north side of the road, abutting the “Crabbing Hole.” And this would violate the state’s own Scenic Roads regulations.
• Require that the two eastern-most lots use a shared driveway located on the western most edge of the property —again to improve sight lines and to minimize disruption to the ledge at the eastern edge of the property.
• Prohibition of removal of trees more than 6” caliper other than those on the designated home sites.
• Set back house locations as far as possible from Rte 146
• With regard to the Amtrak right-of-way on the proposed western-most lot, the Commission should require that Amtrak confirm in writing that they do not have an ownership interest through adverse possession or otherwise.
For all these reasons, residents should participate in the Wednesday night P&Z hearing on this proposal, and urge that the Commission reduce the number of buildable lots in the subdivision. Friends should also call for adoption of the provisions called for by the Scenic Roads AC.
Let me know if you have any questions or would like to discuss this further.
Best,
Bob Yaro
yaro@upenn.edu
917-797-6806
APRIL 17, 2023
The Friends are encouraged to attend a public hearing this week on the proposed subdivision on Route 146 near the crabbing hole in a very sensitive location regarding environmental, scenic, historic and safety considerations:
Agenda
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
(203) 453-8039
VIRTUAL Public Hearing and Regular Meeting
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 7:30 P.M.
Ana Maria Visoiu-Knapp, Leetes Island Road, Map 19, Lot 13, Zone R-6. Special Permit and Coastal Site Plan application for an Open Space Subdivision dividing the parcel into three lots. (Continued from April 05, 2023)
Other business is on the agenda as well but this is listed as the FIRST item.
APRIL 15, 2023
Two years flew by with no new actions, but we are reinvigorating our group now as there are new developments on the ConnDOT Study, also on the Greenway Trail and lastly, regarding a development proposal for a subdivision just West of the Crabbing Hole.
ConnDOT STUDY OF ROUTE 146
We had a very productive meeting (about 15 of the Friends attended) on March 30 with representatives from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) and their consultants on the new Route 146 Management Plan. The are starting a new planning effort for Route 146 focused presently only on Strategy. Recommendations will be in a later phase. Now is the time to establish principles. The ConnDOT Team assured us they intend to rely on community input to shape the plan going forward.
Your participation is needed April 25, 6 pm. ConnDOT is holding a public forum on the Management Plan at Branford Fire HQ, 45 Main St, Branford.
This new planning initiative is in response to our activism following controversies over the historic and recreational character of the road, and various proposals including Shoreline Greenway Trail, the proposed new Crabbing Place Bridge and other issues in recent years. The Team is in a public input and data gathering phase. In the March 30 meeting, attendees raised the below issues and priorities to be addressed in the management plan, including (not in any particular order):
Improve bicycle / pedestrian / vehicular safety
Reduce speeding
Address roadway flooding and rising sea water
Improve design of new Crabbing Place bridge/causeway
Preserve historic character of the corridor and roadway design features, including prohibition of road widening,
Preserve and restore post & cable guardrails
Protect open space and scenic vistas
Design guidelines for future development
Manage traffic and motorcycle noise
Design aesthetically and historically appropriate signage to support objectves
Preserve environmental resources, including removal of invasive phragmites
Maintain roadside edge for safer bike/pedestrian access
Following our request, last week ConnDOT crews were out sweeping debris and brush from the roadway edge — an early indication that agency plans to be responsive to our demands. And we were also pleased to see that yesterday crews repaired a section of historic post and cable guardrail just west of the Crabbing Place instead of replacing it with galvanized steel guardrail. Both steps indicate that ConnDOT is listening to our concerns. We’re off to a good start in this process. However, continued advocacy and engagement will be required to assure our priorities are embedded in the management plan.
GREENWAY TRAIL
We’ll also need to engage constructively on the Shoreline Greenway Trail project. Proposals have included road widening or a new 6-8 foot separate bikeway in the Route 146 corridor. The Greenway Trail just received $7 million in federal funds. These are challenging issues and we hope to find optimal solutions that work for all.
SUBDIVISION PROPOSAL West of the Crabbing Hole
We are closely monitoring the proposed subdivision on the north side of Leetes Island Road stretching from the Crabbing Place west to the historic white Cape next to the Pelatiah Leete house. The Guilford P&Z Commission will hold a public hearing on this issue on April 20 at 7 pm. We believe this will be a Zoom meeting and will ciruclultae the Zoom invitation as soon as it’s available.
Best,
Trish & Bob
Trish Karter 617-901-4820, trish@trishkarter.com
Bob Yaro 917-797-6806, yaro@upenn.edu
APRIL 3, 2023
UPDATE: April 3rd info from State DOT TEAM regarding background on the Study
We received the following very helpful information following our March 30th Meeting:
From: Zapatka, Patrick J
Sent: Monday, April 3, 2023 3:38 PM
To: Trish Karter; Joseph Balskus; Bell, Robert E.
Cc: Dan Amstutz; Bob Yaro, Peter Hentschel , Elder, David C, Greenberg, Elise C.
Subject: RE: quick question re Thursday's meeting
Good afternoon Trish,
It was a pleasure to have met you. We really appreciate the opportunity to come out and discuss our corridor management plan. It’s an exciting plan and we are very excited to be involved.
To answer your questions below:
Unfortunately we didn’t not record the meeting because we were under the impression that the meeting was being recorded.
The data for the existing conditions is currently being finalized and we will gladly share and post that information to our project website.
In addition:
(A) Project Team Contact Information
Robert Bell
Director, Office of Environmental Planning, and Office of Strategic Planning
Bureau of Policy & Planning
CT Department of Transportation
2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington CT 06131-7546
Phone: 860-594-2099, email: robert.e.bell@ct.gov
David Elder, AICP
Assistant Planning Director, Office of Strategic Planning and Projects (Scenic Roads Specialist)
Bureau of Policy and Planning
CT Department of Transportation
2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington CT 06131-7546
Phone: 860-594-2139, email: david.elder@ct.gov
Elise Greenberg, AICP
Supervising Transportation Planner, Office of Strategic Planning and Projects (Statewide Planning)
Bureau of Policy and Planning
CT Department of Transportation
2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington CT 06131-7546
Office: (860) 594-2855, email: elise.greenberg@ct.gov
Patrick Zapatka
Transportation Planner II, Office of Strategic Planning and Projects (Statewide Planning)
Bureau of Policy and Planning
CT Department of Transportation
2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington CT 06131-7546
Phone: 860-594-2047, email: Patrick.zapatka@ct.gov
Joe Balskus
Director of Transportation Systems, VHB
Email: jbalskus@vhb.com
Daniel Amstutz,
Senior Transportation Planner, VHB
Email: damstutz@vhb.com
(B) Project URL:
Route 146 Corridor Management Plan (route146cmp.com)
(C) PowerPoint presentation:
Attached is the PDF of the 10 PowerPoint slide we presented at the meeting.
(D) Public meeting:
There will be a public meeting on April 25 at Branford Fire Headquarters (45 N Main St, Branford, CT 06405) starting at 6:30 pm.
The other public meetings have not been scheduled yet however we plan to hold one in the fall of 2023 and possibly the spring of 2024.
(E) The Composition of the Advisory Committee:
The composition of the Corridor Working Group can be found on slide 3 of the March 7 CWG meeting presentation, which has been posted to the website here: https://route146cmp.com/pdf/CWG%20meeting%20presentation%2003-07-23.pdf
Please reach out if you have any additional questions.
Best,
Patrick Zapatka
Transportation Planner II
Statewide Planning
Connecticut Department of Transportation
Newington Headquarters | 2800 Berlin Turnpike | Newington, CT 06131
860-594-2047
MARCH 11, 2021
Update: March 11 Friends of 146 meeting with Matt Hoey and Sean Scanlon
Congratulations and thank you to the Friends of 146 for your constructive activism, thoughtful contributions and scholarship to protect and guide the future of Historic Route 146. Thursday evening, in an open-to-all Zoom meeting, we heard terrific news. It is gratifying to see a citizen initiative work out so well.
Our state Representative, Sean Scanlon, and Guilford First Selectman Matt Hoey have achieved two key goals that we called for in our petition and letters to Connecticut DOT and the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG):
In his role as Vice Chairman of SCRCOG, Matt Hoey took action to terminate the troubled Route 146 Corridor Study at the end of the current fact finding phase. Findings to date will be used as a foundation for the new Route 146 Management Plan.
Sean Scanlon, as Chairman of the Legislature’s Finance Committee, obtained ConnDOT’s agreement to prepare a new management plan for the Route 146 corridor, and is including $1 million in the agency’s budget for this purpose. This new plan will be based in part on the 1997 management plan for Routes 146 and 77. Further, a new project advisory committee, including representatives from the Friends, the Scenic Roads Advisory Committee, the State Historic Preservation officer, Preservation Connecticut and both towns will advise ConnDot and their consultants on the plan.
Still to be determined is whether this advisory committee will be kept in place to monitor progress in implementing the plan when it’s completed. We feel strongly that this will be important to ensure that ConnDOT follows through on key steps outlined in the management plan. We’ll continue to work with Sean, Matt and ConnDot on this issue.
In a related development, the bridge proposal presented a couple of years ago for the crabbing hole has been set aside and a much lower impact causeway is now under consideration. More details on that will be forthcoming from ConnDOT.
Here is a link Recording of last night’s meeting Passcode: 2cNs7E
Our website will continue to be updated and we expect to continue our active participation in future planning and management. There are, no doubt, many challenges ahead, particularly with regard to the rise in sea level. We should also return to two recurring problems on Route 146: speeding traffic and motorcycle noise. The Friends of 146 intend to continue to encourage the best thinking and collaboration from all. Our website is an excellent and expanding resource on a broad range of topics related to Historic Route 146. All contributions are welcome.
Thank you again for your remarkable contributions and involvement. It has been a pleasure working with you. We will stay in touch as there is plenty more to do! We look forward to seeing everyone in person soon!
Best regards,
Bob Yaro & Trish Karter
FEBRUARY 25, 2021
First Guilford Complete Streets Public Meeting
Thursday, February 25, 2021 from 6:30PM-7:30PM
The goals of Guilford’s Safe Streets Task Force focus on adopting a range of traffic calming measures on the town’s roads to make them safer for cyclists and pedestrians. They are looking for input from Guilford residents about how best to achieve this goal, and need to advance solutions that might also be adopted for Route 146.
FEBRUARY 17, 2021
Route 146 is not just a road. It is a cultural landscape on the Connecticut shoreline, recognized by the national register of historic places. This road, however, is becoming increasingly vulnerable to title, flooding, and rising sea levels as the planet warms. On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, the Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library hosted “Rising Seas and the Future of Route 146” with an introduction by Carol, Lee Hall, from the Town of Branford Conservation/Environmental Commission, commission, and a presentation by Peter Henschel, Town of Branford Coastal Vulnerability Working Group chairperson about the issues of concern, possible solutions, and the outlook for the future.
JANUARY 20, 2021
On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, four members of the Friends of Historic Rte 146 steering committee, (Trish Karter, Bob Yaro, Lee Sander and Penny Bellamy) along with Guilford First Selectman Matt Hoey and State Representative Sean Scanlon met via Zoom with officials from Connecticut DOT and SCRCOG Transportation Director Stephen Dudley.
CLICK HERE to read a summary of the meeting.