Thirty-four homes proposed in Rocky Hill historic district
By: Jake Uitti
ROCKY HILL The controversial Schafer Tract hearings will continue and possibly conclude Thursday evening at the First Reformed Church on Washington Street.
Mayor George Morren, who is also a member of the Planning Board, said he thought Thursday’s meeting, scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., could conceivably be the final hearing.
"I think it’s very likely that there will be a vote," Mayor Morren said. "I hope that the schedule is such that the public will at long last have a chance to weigh in substantially, rather than just asking questions."
A conclusion to the hearings was prolonged yet again May 11 because of a lack of some to-scale plans on the part of the applicant, the Pulte/Schafer Group.
The applicant proposes to build 34 age-restricted, single-family homes in 17 duplex-style buildings on a 16-acre tract off Princeton Avenue called the Rocky Hill Estates.
During the May meeting the fifth installment of the hearings which specifically related to the architecture of the development, Planning Board member Tom Roshetar, along with others on the board, pointed out that the applicant did not provide the necessary, ordinance-required one-eighth-scale drawings of the buildings in its packet of materials.
"We’re discussing buildings," Mr. Roshetar said at the hearing. "I would like to see what a complete building looks like."
It is expected that the to-scale drawings of the complete buildings will be included in Thursday’s testimony.
Some borough residents have been vocal in their opposition to the proposed development, saying the duplex-style buildings are not compatible with the traditional neighborhood development techniques within Rocky Hill’s historic district.
On Thursday, some residents, including former Planning Board Chairwoman Susan Bristol, are expected to continue to speak out against the development.
At an April 20 meeting, the applicant’s director of architecture, Dave Griffiths, said his company, Pulte Homes, had designed the development to try to "take the elements you have in your community, elements typical to this style of architecture, and duplicate that in our project."