Groton Open Space Association

GOSA Appeals Groton Zoning Commission Approval Of Four Winds

GROTON–GOSA is appealing the Town of Groton Zoning Commission’s split decision to approve a 147-unit “Residential Life Care Community” to be built on 105 acres of the 160-acre Watrous property.

As previously reported, GOSA also has appealed the Inland Wetlands Agency’s approval of the same project, proposed by Mystic Active Adult LLC, an organization headed by Mashpee, MA developer Ron Bonvie.

The zoning appeal, dated Sept. 8, 2003, has a return date of Oct. 14 in Superior Court, New London. Plaintiffs, in addition to GOSA itself, comprise two of its board members and eight abutters of the Watrous property on Noank-Ledyard Road.

The appeal states that the project doesn’t meet town and state criteria required for an exemption from the half-acre zoning prescribed for the area. It says that Four Winds lacks the affordability, medical care and meals support that would allow residents to “age in place,” a requirement for Residential Life Care Communities.

The appeal charges that “the decision of the Commission was arbitrarily and unlawfully predetermined by the biased advocacy of the [Town] Planning Officer at the hearing.” It said the officer “diverged from his role and duty as objective advisor and [misstated]…the 2002 Plan of Conservation and Development as not identifying this property as worthy of protection, ignoring the Conservation Commission’s Dec. 11, 2001 recommendation to the Town that it acquire this very property and preserve it from development…”

The plaintiffs also said that the project would result in unreasonable disturbance and fragmentation of highly significant woodland habitat, creation of at least 20 acres of impervious surfaces that will lead to erosion, and runoff damage to wetlands, Eccleston Brook, Fishtown Brook and Palmer Cove.