Planning & Zoning Commission (linked)

December 1, 2025  
To members of the Waterford Planning and Zoning Board,  
We are writing this letter to strongly protest the Application for Coastal Management Permit regarding the lot 
located at 2 Forest Street (application number #PL-25-19), which is directly adjacent to our property at 26 
Ridgewood Avenue. The application was formally submitted at the November 18, 2025 meeting of the Waterford 
Planning and Zoning Board.  
We respectfully request that the Board postpone any approval of this action until the environmental and property 
impacts have been thoroughly evaluated to address the following concerns. 
1. Our primary concern involves the significant risk of increased coastal erosion due to the high 
likelihood that many mature trees will need to be removed/trimmed from 2 Forest Street and/or 
our own adjacent property to provide space for the proposed structure and the retaining wall. Since 
many of these trees are over 40 years old, any removal of these trees and their root systems may 
significantly contribute to the erosion of the land that remains. The trees that would likely need to be 
removed have long served as a natural barrier protecting the shoreline along this section of Waterford’s 
coast. Their root systems stabilize the soil, reduce storm runoff, and help buffer the property from tidal 
surges and high-wind events. Removing these trees would leave the area more vulnerable to erosion and 
could accelerate shoreline loss—a problem already affecting many parts of coastal Connecticut.  
a. The potential degradation of the land connected to building a retaining wall and possible removal 
of trees also poses a direct threat to the stability of our deck and our house’s foundation at 26 
Ridgewood Avenue as well as the stability of the land beneath the shed that sits on the property 
at 22 Ridgewood Avenue near the cove directly next to the proposed retaining wall.  
b. Even if the root systems remain intact, removing all the branches from one side of the mature 
trees that hang over 2 Forest Street could significantly impact the strength of the remaining parts 
of the trees that hang directly over the entire side of our house and deck at 26 Ridgewood 
Avenue; this could significantly weaken each tree’s ability to withstand increasingly stronger 
windstorms that could cause one or more of the trees to fall onto our house or deck.  
Surprisingly, while the application letter and site map notes provide extensive details about the 
specifications for a) the proposed storm water systems and b) procedures for replanting grass, there is not 
a single mention of the potential removal of trees (or portions of trees) and related impact this may have 
on degrading the natural or existing drainage patterns (point IV on the permit) for the property at 2 Forest 
Street or for adjacent properties at 26 Ridgewood Avenue and 22 Ridgewood Avenue.  
 
2. We are also deeply concerned about the reduction in property values and privacy that will likely 
result from the potential loss of these long-established trees and the proposed building of a 1.5 story 
structure. Mature coastal vegetation enhances both the scenic quality and natural resilience of 
neighborhoods like ours. Any removal of mature trees would diminish the visual appeal of the area, 
reduce shade and habitat, and ultimately affect the desirability and value of surrounding properties at 26 
Ridgewood Avenue, 22 Ridgewood Avenue, 1 Forest Street, and 4 Forest Street. We have invested heavily 
in maintaining our properties and preserving the character of the neighborhood and would be 
disproportionately affected by the proposed construction.  
a. When we purchased our 26 Ridgewood Avenue house in April 1998, one of the first things we 
did was investigate the likelihood of someone building a house at 2 Forest Street, since it would 
be extremely close to our own house. The probate certificate assured us the lot could not be built 
on because of zoning regulations. Clearly, the proposed 1.5 story dwelling and driveway at 2 
Forest Street, which is only 10 feet away from our property line, would significantly degrade the 
resale value of our own property.  
b. It would also degrade the resale value of the property at 4 Forest Street, as the proposed structure 
and two parked cars would be directly in their front yard, blocking most of the natural sunlight 
and view of the trees and cove; similarly, it would degrade the property at 1 Forest Street, which 
would be entirely blocked from the natural view of the cove.  

c. Finally, many people take walks past 2 Forest Street on the way to the ocean, which currently has 
a broad view of Alewife Cove and Long Island Sound. Consequently, any dwelling built on this 
lot would be a hardship on ours and our neighbors’ privacy and property value and would also 
degrade the visual quality of the “Ridgewood by the Sea” neighborhood.   
Thus, we very much disagree with the November 2025 Engineer’s report that suggests “developing a 
home on the lot will build upon the character of the neighborhood” (Section 7: Consistency with adopted 
plan of preservation, conservation, and development). Instead, our concerns are directly related to Permit 
Point VI (degrading the visual quality through significant alteration of natural features of vistas and 
viewpoints) and Point VII (degrading the population characteristics of the natural species or significant 
alterations of the natural components of the habitats) – yet again, no mention is made regarding plans for 
how the trees and root systems on the property will be modified or how these plans would impact 
adjacent properties.   
3. Approximately 1/3 of this half-size property (by today’s standards of the minimum lot size) is 
visible ledge. As part of the original Zoning Appeal Application (# ZBA2006-031) that requested a 
variance on the lot, the environmental planner concluded in the November 6, 2006 report, “the existence 
of ledge on the property presents significant restrictions for site construction and development since the 
ledge appears to extend under the proposed house.” According to the 2006 application, this ledge causes a 
dramatic elevation in the middle of the lot, dropping from elevation 103 in the middle to elevation 93 at 
the southwest corner before it leads into tidal wetlands 15 feet away.  This ledge is of particular concern 
because there is no detail in the November 2025 application of how the foundation will be attached to the 
ledge; yet, there is a troubling likelihood that any work on this ledge to lay the proposed concrete 
foundation (and possibly to install water and sewer lines at least 42 inches below the surface of the 
proposed driveway) could harm our house and deck foundations, as well as the foundation of the house 
on the adjacent property at 4 Forest Street that also sits directly on top of the ledge.     
In light of these concerns, we strongly protest the proposed permit and respectfully request that the Board 
postpone any decision until the following has been completed and the impact of these actions more fully 
considered:   
 
1. Conduct an environmental and erosion impact assessment prior to any decision to cut or remove portions 
of trees on or adjacent to the property;  
2. Clarify in writing the timeline and details of plans for any tree removal or tree cutting and efforts made to 
reduce or mitigate potential adverse effects, since most of the trees that would be impacted sit on the 
property at 26 Ridgewood Avenue;  
3. Consider alternative approaches that preserve the mature trees or incorporate equivalent protective 
measures; 
4. Provide additional opportunities for public input from affected residents (e.g., see enclosed for a copy of 
the 31 signatures collected on a neighborhood petition submitted on Jan. 2, 2007 to protest the building of 
any house on the property – application number ZBA2006-031).  
Thank you for your time, attention, and ongoing service to the Waterford community. We urge the Board to 
consider the long-term environmental and economic impacts at stake and to prioritize the protection of this 
vulnerable coastal area. 
Sincerely,  
Charles D. Coiro 
 
 
Julie L. Coiro 
Charles D. Coiro 
 
 
Julie L. Coiro  
 
 

Attachment 1. Page 1 of signatures collected on neighborhood petition submitted on Jan. 2, 2007 to protest the 
building of any house on the property at 2 Forest Street (# ZBA2006-031)  
 
 

Page 2 of signatures collected on neighborhood petition submitted on Jan. 2, 2007 to protest the building of any 
house on the property at 2 Forest Street (# ZBA2006-031)