HAMDEN – Dozens of Hamden residents voiced their concerns Wednesday about a proposed apartment complex that would be built on 64 Rocky Top.
"I want to know what you will do when the dust impacts my family's health, our water and my child's ability to breath,” exclaims one resident in front of a podium.
Residents spoke to members of the town’s Wetland committee. They were in charge of listening to concerns and eventually deciding the fate of the apartment complex project led by Mountain View Estates.
A bulk of the residents’ complaints were regarding the blasting process that would take place before the construction would begin.
Developers want to get rid of nearly 100 feet or 800,000 cubic yards of basalt rock which experts say could take as long as two to three years to complete.
"They're going to destroy the ridge and all the wildlife and all the habitats around it. And, destroy the serenity of these neighborhoods,” said Tim Mack, a resident in the Rocky Top neighborhood.
But that’s not the only thing that would be disrupted. Ron Colaresi has been working in the construction field for over 40 years.
He said the blasting would disrupt the natural flow of water from the ridge effectively destroying the wetlands in the area and affecting the community’s drinking water.
"If you look at some of the streams and things around here that are flowing, I mean you look in the wetlands, it's a very clean, pristine water. It's not going to be like that once you start blasting and moving all this rock and all this dust getting into it,” said Colaresi.
But even if the Wetlands Committee approves the project, developers would still need several permits from the Town of Hamden to continue the project.