Interest renews in 1928 housing development

MIDDLETOWN — A city developer has filed for a wetlands permit to build four single-family homes in the Westfield neighborhood, in a revival of a plan first proposed in the late 1920s.

The lots, owned by Joseph Mazzotta, are located off Phedon Parkway and at the foot of Nathan Hale Road, a dead-end that borders Field Park.

During the July 7 meeting of the Inlands Wetlands & Watercourses Agency, city planner Marek Kozikowski said these lots were created in 1928, but the houses were never built, according to the meeting video.

There will be some minor impacts to wetlands in the proposed plan, he said.

The agency accepted the application and set a public hearing for this week.

In the application, filed June 30, Mazzotta estimated it would take six months for the road to be built and between one and two years to complete the project.

Street construction on private land is the responsibility of property owners, Public Works Director William Russo said. That includes crowning the road, and installing drainage, concrete curbing, catch basins, street lights, sidewalks and other components, he said.

The project must meet city standards and be approved by the Common Council, Russo said.

The public works engineering department addressed some specifications for the development. They include that, although the applicant referred to the road as “Nathan Hale Drive Extension,” no such street exists, so it will have to be named by the city.

They will also require a cul de sac be built at the end of the street.

A public hearing will be held Wednesday as part of the next inlands wetlands meeting.

The agenda will be posted at middletownct.gov.

Cassandra Day / Hearst Connecticut Media The Middletown Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Agency will hold a hearing Sept. 1 on a proposal to build four single-family homes on Nathan Hale Road. This is a revival of a plan to develop lots created in the 1920s that were never built upon.