NEW UPDATE: JULY 17, 2026 Preserve / Oppose Development of and around 99 Hawley Lane
The Issue
**NEW UPDATE :
Position Statement
"July 17, 2026
Position Statement on Mountain Development Corp. and Hawley Club Owner, LLC
Mountain Development Corp. and Hawley Club Owner, LLC, have petitioned the Stratford Zoning Commission for a Special Permit, Site Plan Review, and Erosion and Sediment Control Review to construct a four-story, 129-unit, multifamily residential unit (+/- 110,000 s.f.), a 2,550 s.f. detached building, a swimming pool, and associated improvements at 99 Hawley Lane.
The Stratford Zoning Commission is scheduled to consider this petition on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 6 PM at Town Hall, 2725 Main Street. PLEASE NOTE: the public hearing MAY be rescheduled for August 26th. If the date is changed, we will post it by Tuesday, July 21st. We urge all concerned citizens to attend the hearing, and to sign up to speak if you wish. Sign-up sheets are available at 5:30 PM
Information:
We are Stratford homeowners, many of us living in the neighborhoods bordering or near Hawley Lane and the adjacent inland wetlands.
This is at least the third time a proposal has been submitted for this parcel of land.
The Inland Wetlands Commission denied the proposal submitted to it in 2022 based on concerns about impacts on the inland wetlands and aspects of the proposal deemed lacking. The denial was appealed to Bridgeport Superior Court, and in July 2025, Judge Radcliffe overturned the denial based on his position that the Commission did not have the legal authority to deny the proposal as well as errors in the Commission’s documentation. The Inland Wetlands Commisision subsequently issued a permit to Mountain Development specifying approval with numerous, detailed conditions.
Deficiencies in the proposal to the Zoning Commission:
1. The proposal to the Zoning Commission includes the Inland Wetlands Commission permit and conditions in its documents without demonstrating how each of the requested permits will respond and fulfill the Inland Wetlands Commission’s requirements in the permit and conditions dated October 24, 2025.
2. The Town Engineer’s 2024 report notes concerns about stormwater management. These concerns have not beenfully addressed and resolved in the current proposal.
3. The proposal includes a Traffic Report, which lacks essential information: 1) how many people total are anticipated to live in the 129 apartments? 2) how many studio, one bedroom, and two- bedroom apartments will there be in each category?
3) how many automobiles are anticipated to be owned or leased by the residents of the 129 apartments? 4) What is the reason for and anticipated daily utilization of 330 planned parking spaces? 5) the statement that there will be NO impact on Hawley Lane traffic seems inaccurate on its face and suggests that a separate traffic study is needed. Those who reside on and near Hawley Lane are all too familiar with frequent traffic back-ups both in morning and evening rush hours as well as at other times of day. Furthermore, the road into 99 Hawley Lane is a single lane on each side except for just before the traffic light. While the proposal refers to the Armory Road egress for emergency purposes, Armory Road exits into Nichols Avenue, which is also a very busy road. 6) It is not clear that adequate access and egress for emergency vehicles will be possible. Safety issues related to anticipated increased traffic throughout each day as well as at rush hour. should also be noted. Hawley Lane presents complex safety issues because the 99 Hawley Lane side is in Stratford and the opposite side with Kohl’s, Target, Best Buy and other stores and offices is in Trumbull. Trumbull fire and ambulance services are provided by volunteers. The Nichols Avenue intersection is also complex and frequently congested.
4. The proposed swimming pool is not described in any document. What will be its dimensions and depth? Will there be any lifeguard presence? What will the hours be? The maintenance and drainage plans? These must be specified.
5. What does “+/- 110,000 s.f.” mean? Is the square footage 110,000 or more or less?
6. The Stratford Armory located at 63 Armory Roadserves as an active Army National Guard base and as such, may have certain area requirements of nearby properties. These are not addressed in the 99 Hawley Lane proposal.
7. In fall 2025, then- Mayor Laura Hoydick announced that the title to the former Ella Grasso property at 300 Armory Road had been transferred to the town of Stratford. The mayor announced the intention to create 100 units of affordable housing for older people on the site, with management by the Stratford Housing Authority. This welcome increase in affordable housing would border the same inland wetlands bordering which Mountain Development proposes to build. The Stratford HOMEowners Alliance and Action Network recently wrotein a letter to Mayor Chess and the Town Council, “Will the project at 99 Hawley Lane interrupt the plans for affordable senior housing at Ella Grasso to meet our percentage requirements under 830-g?How are traffic and environmental HOMEowner concerns expressed previously being addressed? Will dead-end cul de sacs be opened as arteries to alleviate traffic congestion? Will Stratford’s newly adopted “workforce guidelines” be part of the 99 Hawley Lane project?”
Recommendation: Denial
Given the many unknowns and necessity for additional information from the applicant as well as other parties, including the Inland Wetlands Commission, the Stratford Housing Authority, the Mayor’s Office, and the Army National Guard, we strongly encourage the Zoning Commission to deny the application.
Concerned citizens are encouraged to contact the Zoning Commission members and other officials including Stephen A. Taccogna, Chair, Linda Manos, J.F. Ewald Joseph, Misty Percifield, Peter Carrol; alternate members Jackie Seawright, Dion Francis, Susmitha Attota, Town Planner, Kelly Corrigan, Conservation Superintendent, Edward Scinto, Inland Wetlands Commission Chair, Paul Aurelia, District 10 Town Council,Elizabeth Sulik, Housing Authority Executive Director, John Florek, Attorney for Stratford Housing Authority, and Mayor David Chess (dchess@townofstratford.com).
Stratford residents, concerned citizens,
Jessica Wolf
Donna Zukowski
Marca Leigh
Grace Arpie
JULY 17, 2026
Jessica Wolf jwolfds@gmail.com has drafted a letter to send to the zoning commission. A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday July 22 6pm for the zoning commission for an application by Mountain Development . Judge Radcliffe had ruled in favor of the developers and wetlands commission had to approve it.
However, there seem to be discrepancies between the letter from the judge and the current application. Please read and sign the letter here drafted to the zoning commission, I will attach shortly.
Stay tuned. Thank you
History:
2022:
There is a proposal to develop the land along Hawley Lane behind the Big Y into a 129 unit apartment complex. This is currently green space, much of it wetlands home to peepers, turtles, deer, bobcat and countless birds just to name a few. It is full of trees and plants that sequester carbon, produce oxygen and provide home to many species of wildlife. The development would not only destroy wildlife, but also flood the space with bright artificial lighting which is bad for migrating birds and nocturnal pollinators.
Traffic in the area is barely tolerable and more multiplex housing will congest the streets even more. Please sell this land to a Land Trust instead of developing it. "
750
The Issue
**NEW UPDATE :
Position Statement
"July 17, 2026
Position Statement on Mountain Development Corp. and Hawley Club Owner, LLC
Mountain Development Corp. and Hawley Club Owner, LLC, have petitioned the Stratford Zoning Commission for a Special Permit, Site Plan Review, and Erosion and Sediment Control Review to construct a four-story, 129-unit, multifamily residential unit (+/- 110,000 s.f.), a 2,550 s.f. detached building, a swimming pool, and associated improvements at 99 Hawley Lane.
The Stratford Zoning Commission is scheduled to consider this petition on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 6 PM at Town Hall, 2725 Main Street. PLEASE NOTE: the public hearing MAY be rescheduled for August 26th. If the date is changed, we will post it by Tuesday, July 21st. We urge all concerned citizens to attend the hearing, and to sign up to speak if you wish. Sign-up sheets are available at 5:30 PM
Information:
We are Stratford homeowners, many of us living in the neighborhoods bordering or near Hawley Lane and the adjacent inland wetlands.
This is at least the third time a proposal has been submitted for this parcel of land.
The Inland Wetlands Commission denied the proposal submitted to it in 2022 based on concerns about impacts on the inland wetlands and aspects of the proposal deemed lacking. The denial was appealed to Bridgeport Superior Court, and in July 2025, Judge Radcliffe overturned the denial based on his position that the Commission did not have the legal authority to deny the proposal as well as errors in the Commission’s documentation. The Inland Wetlands Commisision subsequently issued a permit to Mountain Development specifying approval with numerous, detailed conditions.
Deficiencies in the proposal to the Zoning Commission:
1. The proposal to the Zoning Commission includes the Inland Wetlands Commission permit and conditions in its documents without demonstrating how each of the requested permits will respond and fulfill the Inland Wetlands Commission’s requirements in the permit and conditions dated October 24, 2025.
2. The Town Engineer’s 2024 report notes concerns about stormwater management. These concerns have not beenfully addressed and resolved in the current proposal.
3. The proposal includes a Traffic Report, which lacks essential information: 1) how many people total are anticipated to live in the 129 apartments? 2) how many studio, one bedroom, and two- bedroom apartments will there be in each category?
3) how many automobiles are anticipated to be owned or leased by the residents of the 129 apartments? 4) What is the reason for and anticipated daily utilization of 330 planned parking spaces? 5) the statement that there will be NO impact on Hawley Lane traffic seems inaccurate on its face and suggests that a separate traffic study is needed. Those who reside on and near Hawley Lane are all too familiar with frequent traffic back-ups both in morning and evening rush hours as well as at other times of day. Furthermore, the road into 99 Hawley Lane is a single lane on each side except for just before the traffic light. While the proposal refers to the Armory Road egress for emergency purposes, Armory Road exits into Nichols Avenue, which is also a very busy road. 6) It is not clear that adequate access and egress for emergency vehicles will be possible. Safety issues related to anticipated increased traffic throughout each day as well as at rush hour. should also be noted. Hawley Lane presents complex safety issues because the 99 Hawley Lane side is in Stratford and the opposite side with Kohl’s, Target, Best Buy and other stores and offices is in Trumbull. Trumbull fire and ambulance services are provided by volunteers. The Nichols Avenue intersection is also complex and frequently congested.
4. The proposed swimming pool is not described in any document. What will be its dimensions and depth? Will there be any lifeguard presence? What will the hours be? The maintenance and drainage plans? These must be specified.
5. What does “+/- 110,000 s.f.” mean? Is the square footage 110,000 or more or less?
6. The Stratford Armory located at 63 Armory Roadserves as an active Army National Guard base and as such, may have certain area requirements of nearby properties. These are not addressed in the 99 Hawley Lane proposal.
7. In fall 2025, then- Mayor Laura Hoydick announced that the title to the former Ella Grasso property at 300 Armory Road had been transferred to the town of Stratford. The mayor announced the intention to create 100 units of affordable housing for older people on the site, with management by the Stratford Housing Authority. This welcome increase in affordable housing would border the same inland wetlands bordering which Mountain Development proposes to build. The Stratford HOMEowners Alliance and Action Network recently wrotein a letter to Mayor Chess and the Town Council, “Will the project at 99 Hawley Lane interrupt the plans for affordable senior housing at Ella Grasso to meet our percentage requirements under 830-g?How are traffic and environmental HOMEowner concerns expressed previously being addressed? Will dead-end cul de sacs be opened as arteries to alleviate traffic congestion? Will Stratford’s newly adopted “workforce guidelines” be part of the 99 Hawley Lane project?”
Recommendation: Denial
Given the many unknowns and necessity for additional information from the applicant as well as other parties, including the Inland Wetlands Commission, the Stratford Housing Authority, the Mayor’s Office, and the Army National Guard, we strongly encourage the Zoning Commission to deny the application.
Concerned citizens are encouraged to contact the Zoning Commission members and other officials including Stephen A. Taccogna, Chair, Linda Manos, J.F. Ewald Joseph, Misty Percifield, Peter Carrol; alternate members Jackie Seawright, Dion Francis, Susmitha Attota, Town Planner, Kelly Corrigan, Conservation Superintendent, Edward Scinto, Inland Wetlands Commission Chair, Paul Aurelia, District 10 Town Council,Elizabeth Sulik, Housing Authority Executive Director, John Florek, Attorney for Stratford Housing Authority, and Mayor David Chess (dchess@townofstratford.com).
Stratford residents, concerned citizens,
Jessica Wolf
Donna Zukowski
Marca Leigh
Grace Arpie
JULY 17, 2026
Jessica Wolf jwolfds@gmail.com has drafted a letter to send to the zoning commission. A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday July 22 6pm for the zoning commission for an application by Mountain Development . Judge Radcliffe had ruled in favor of the developers and wetlands commission had to approve it.
However, there seem to be discrepancies between the letter from the judge and the current application. Please read and sign the letter here drafted to the zoning commission, I will attach shortly.
Stay tuned. Thank you
History:
2022:
There is a proposal to develop the land along Hawley Lane behind the Big Y into a 129 unit apartment complex. This is currently green space, much of it wetlands home to peepers, turtles, deer, bobcat and countless birds just to name a few. It is full of trees and plants that sequester carbon, produce oxygen and provide home to many species of wildlife. The development would not only destroy wildlife, but also flood the space with bright artificial lighting which is bad for migrating birds and nocturnal pollinators.
Traffic in the area is barely tolerable and more multiplex housing will congest the streets even more. Please sell this land to a Land Trust instead of developing it. "
The Decision Makers
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on June 2, 2022