WILTON – Town residents will have a chance early next month to address the need for a special drainage district in relation to the proposed Canyon Run Extension housing project on Gailor Road.
At its Dec. 7 meeting, the Wilton Town Board set the related public hearing for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 4 in the town complex. The board has authority to approve the creation of such localized taxing districts.
Last year, the 44-lot housing proposal on almost 40 acres—part of the existing Canyon Run development near the Adirondack Northway—already had received preliminary approval by the Wilton Planning Board.
But among the “contingencies” that needed to be satisfied was proper surface drainage, according to Planning Board Executive Secretary Lucy Harlow.
At a cost estimated in the hundreds of thousands, developer Daniel Galusha is expected to pay for installing a drainage system at Canyon Run Extension. Town officials would be required to inspect that installation process from start to finish.
Subsequently, residents in the new Canyon Run Extension homes would be required to pay a special tax related to the long-term maintenance of the drainage district.
The minutes of a May 18, 2016 public hearing quoted Tawny Terrace resident Brigitte Giacchetta, who directly addressed the subject in an email to the planning board.
“I do have some concerns regarding this proposal,” Giacchetta said. “My first concern is drainage. The area is very wet and since I have a drainage swale through the back of my property I am worried about the additional water flow and where it's going to go.”
Giacchetta cited a number of other concerns in her email, echoing comments made by several residents at the public hearing.
“The construction will bring traffic, heavy machinery, and people speeding down Gailor road,” she predicted.
Wilton Planning Board Chairman Michael Dobis assured the residents who spoke that town officials would “consider all the comments and questions” received, according to the official minutes.