Planning & Zoning Commission - 387 (06/13/2023)

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5. Statement of Use 
 
Attached a typed statement of use. In addition include all hours and days of operation, size 
of buildings and number of stories, utilities servicing the parcel, variances received, 
number of employee and structures to be demolished. 
 
Overview 
This affordable housing application brought pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat. § 8-30g involves the 
construction of 47 detached housing units on a 16.166 acre parcel located on the easterly side of 
Clark Lane in Waterford, Connecticut. Of the 47 individual units, 15 are reserved as affordable 
housing. Each home is 28' x 48', and each one has a porch at the front door. The application will 
be accessed by a private road system which intersects Clark Lane at the northerly and southerly 
limits of the application. All units will be served by public water and sewer utilities. Each pair of 
units will share an 8' x 16' shed with two doors and an interior divider wall. Each home will have 
its own post light which can be controlled from that home. Where there is no shed between 
homes, there will be privacy landscaping. Most homes will have beds of perennial flowers and 
ornamental grasses except where there are space restrictions (such as adjacent to parking 
driveways). Inland wetlands are located on the subject property, however no work is proposed 
within their limits. The applicant has appended a wetland function & value and impact 
assessment report to its application.  
 
Vehicular Traffic 
The affordable housing development is estimated to generate 12 vehicular trips during the 
weekday morning peak hour and 22 vehicular trips during the weekday afternoon peak hour. 
These represent increases of one percent and two percent in traffic volumes on Clark Lane 
during the two peak hours. Peak-hour traffic counts were collected at area intersections in April 
2021. The counts were adjusted to remove the effects of the pandemic by increasing the traffic 
volumes associated with the Clark Lane Middle School. The traffic impact of the development 
will be limited. After the housing units are built and occupied, traffic leaving two site driveways 
on Clark Lane will operate at the favorable LOS A, B, and C during the peak hours. The site 
traffic will increase intersection-level delays at the Clark Lane and Route 1 intersection by 0.1 
second and 0.2 second during the two weekday peak hours. Recent-year accident records for the 
segment of Clark Lane near the development were reviewed. No abnormal accident patterns 
were identified. At the intersection of Fog Plain Road, Clark Lane, and Chester Street, the traffic 
approaches controlled by two stop signs experience relatively long delays and queueing during 
peak hours. We recommend that the town monitor the traffic volumes at this intersection to 
evaluate whether a traffic signal can be warranted at this location when the pandemic subsides. 
The delays and queuing at this intersection are existing conditions and are not associated with the 
proposed housing development. 
 
Number of Persons to Occupy or Visit the Premises on Daily Basis, Including 
Parking & Loading Requirements 
 
One family per dwelling unit. 
 
 

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Size of existing and proposed buildings in square feet and proposed use of existing buildings. 
The applicant’s property is unimproved and is composed of mostly wooded area - there are no 
existing structures. Each of the individual 47 units shall be 1,344 square feet and used solely for 
residential purposes.  
 
6. Statement of Design Compatibility (Site Plans and Special Permits only) 
 
Attach a statement describing how the building and site design is compatible with the 
neighborhood, character of Waterford and Zoning Regulations. 
 
Attached Separately, see “Statement of Design Compatibility.” 
 
7. Consistency with Adopted Plan of Preservation, Conservation and Development (all 
applications) 
 
Attach a statement attesting to how the proposed use, zone change, amendment or design is 
consistent with the most recent adopted Plan of Preservation, Conservation and 
Development (the Plan). Note relevant Plan section numbers and pages. 
 
Consistent with the planning objectives set forth in § 1.4 of Waterford’s IWW Regulations, the 
applicant has taken steps to mitigate any potential disturbance, pollution, or damage to the 
nearby wetland systems. Because of the environmental sensitivity of the overall Jordan Brook 
watershed, the application has been designed to provide a minimum 50’ undisturbed buffer to the 
delineated wetland edge. The only exception to this buffer is the discharge from the stormwater 
treatment and management system which will discharge fully renovated and treated stormwater 
near the wetland edge. Moreover, stormwater management and treatment will be accomplished 
by means of a system which includes catch basin sumps, a hydrodynamic separator, a 
bioretention basin and a stormwater detention basin. This application was approved by the 
Waterford Conservation Commission on March 23, 2023. 
 
The application is also compatible with the town’s plan of conservation and development dated 
May 10, 2022 (the “POCD”). The POCD suggests that Waterford is behind its neighboring 
municipalities in terms of providing for affordable housing. Pages 10-12 of the POCD states 
“Waterford has less housing diversity than surrounding communities … About 88% of all 
housing units in Waterford are single-family detached homes…. Housing values and sale prices 
in Waterford are higher (less affordable) than some nearby communities …” According to page 
16 of the POCD, Waterford currently only has 485 housing units that meet the state criteria for 
“affordable housing.” Moreover, the POCD cites changes to Waterford’s demographics further 
driving the demand for affordable housing, especially for residents within the existing 
community. “The age composition of Waterford is changing …There are now more older 
residents (with unique housing needs) …” The proposed 15 affordable housing units, 
representing more than 3% of Waterford’s entire inventory of affordable housing units today, is 
consistent with Waterford achieving the policy objectives set forth in the POCD and Conn. Gen. 
Stat. § 8-30g.