Highland Ridge/St. Anne’s Golf Course
There has not been much news on Aurora Rosa’s first development of 519 acres, 456 age-restricted housing units and an 18-hole golf course east of Highland Lake. The development was approved by the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission (IWWC) and the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) in the summer of 2006. The tree harvesting of 9,000 trees is ongoing and is scheduled to be completed later this spring.

The developer has explained the project still needs the approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Another issue has risen with the developer’s request to install the water and sewer lines connecting the Town’s resources to the site of the Aurora Rosa Estates developments along Route 800. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has apparently denied that request,citing the Town’s lack of an updated Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). The P&Z is responsible for updating this very important document and is currently working on the revised version. In the winter edition of the Highland Lake News, we wrote of the importance of this document to the Town and to Highland Lake now and in the future. A quick fix will not be of the best interest for Winchester.

At the Selectmen’s meeting on Monday, March 3, Selectman Michael Hamm introduced another problem plaguing the development. In a highly technical discussion, he explained the pipes carrying water along Route 800 must have a way to circulate the water so as to avoid the collection of chlorine. The Town is faced with three different proposals to solve the problem and is working on finding the best possible solution.

Aurora Estates
The original proposal for the second Aurora Rosa project, Winchester Estates, contained 120 age-restricted apartments and 267 condominiums, 60 designated as affordable.

On April 26, 2007, the IWWC approved the application for the Winchester Estates development, now called Aurora Estates. The P&Z met on May 21, 2007 and denied the application as submitted, citing concerns for the density of the homes, the negative impact on adjacent property values, the lack of recreation areas and the lack of open space.

In December 2007, the developer delivered a new application containing 123 age-restricted dwellings and 177 unrestricted units to the IWWC and P&Z. Both commissions were to begin discussion of these new plans during their January meetings. However, some concerns over payments of previous bills by the developer and Town delayed these discussions.

The first meeting on the development is the P&Z hearing on March 17.

Winsted’s community lawyer, Charlene LaVoie, raised her concern during a Public Hearing at the P&Z meeting on January 28, indicating the nationwide downturn in the housing market would result in a lack of sales in these developments. She is quoted as saying: “This town will have to live with it for the next 50 years . . . the taxpayers of this town have to look at this. It’s going to be a mess, an abandoned mess up there.”

Federal officials reported new home sales fell 26 percent in 2007 (as of January 29, 2008). Mr. Silano responded to Ms. LaVoie’s comments by stating “(age-restricted housing) is not in the tank. Eighty percent of the wealth in this country is (controlled by individuals) 55 and over.”

Mr. Silano has stated previously he did not need a market study for these projects. However, one can only wonder if a market study had been produced, what revisions in the market study would result from the present economic situation?

In another development, Torrington officials have written the Town of Winsted expressing concerns with traffic safety on Mountain Road at the southern end of the project. Their concern is over one of the access roads leading to Aurora Estates from Mountain Road. Despite these concerns, Mr. Silano’s traffic experts have predicted a lack of traffic problems connected to the project.