this is my wetlands mitigation plan that I presented to the wetlands commission. (Long)

Proposal for construction at 225 Avery Shores presented to the Coventry Wetlands Association.


Presented by Sam and Teri Norman


It is my and my wife’s intention to build an energy efficient, environmentally friendly home to replace the eyesore that currently is uninhabitable on the site. In developing the plan for building, we have had to make a number of decisions in the design and potential implementation of this plan. This document is intended to inform and explain:

• use of property;
• placement and orientation of the house;
• our plan to mitigate of some of the misuses of the now-identified wetlands.

Currently there is an approximately 950 square foot house and a two car garage on the property. It is over forty years old, and when built, building codes were much different than today. Last summer, (June 09) a large tree fell over and punched a large hole in the roof of the house. No one had been living in the house at the time, and no one has lived at 225 Avery Shores for 3 years. The property has not been maintained. The foundation, made up of stacked cinder blocks is crumbling and breaking apart. Raw weather has been entering the six foot roof hole for almost a year. In addition to the state of the main building, the garage is also in very tough shape. The wooden garage walls are rotting, paint peeling, shingles falling away. The whole site is in a general state of disrepair.

The state of disrepair of the foundation at the current building is unacceptable to build on; it would have to be completely torn down and the foundation completely rebuilt if we wanted to build on the same footprint.

Instead, we propose to remove the uninhabitable eyesore (both house and garage), destroy and fill the existing septic tank, whose leach field is within the wetlands border, and replace it with a highly energy efficient two story house (footprint approximately 1230 square feet) and an attached two car garage hooked up to the town’s sewer system.

In trying to place the house on the site we had a number of items that we had to consider; existing setback rules, newly established wetland lines, and lastly the orientation requirements that a passive solar house.

In a passive solar designed house, the climate of the house is regulated by using the energy of the sun, absorbed by a thermal mass within the house, and then later released as heat as surrounding air cools. This design provides for the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly heating source available. There are a few concerns in the building of this kind of house primarily types of materials used that are beyond the scope of this proposal, but an aspect that is vitally important is the orientation of the house.

In a passive solar house, especially one as north as Connecticut, the house’s orientation is vital and has to be as close to true north/south as possible. This orientation allows for maximum solar gain. In southern climates, a variation of up to 20 degrees off true north does not adversely affect heating efficiency, but in northern latitudes, an offset of more than 10 degrees can dramatically affect the house’s ability to gain heat effectively.

We spent a long time trying to manipulate the house footprint to best fit the site. We swapped the garage, flipped the house, rotated it every which way, and fit it in the best way possible. While looking at the site map and the orientation of the property, we were able to move the proposed footprint of the house into a true north/south orientation while at the same time move the house as easterly (away from the wetlands) as possible, and still remain inside the regulated setback zoning area as required.

Recently, Mr. Penny, town engineer, suggested rotating the house clockwise to see if it moved the foundation away from the wetlands. With Messier & Associates, professional surveyors, we did just that, and here are the results:

• At true north, as originally placed, the full foundation is 21’ 6” from the wetlands with concrete posts for the porch 13’ 6” from the wetlands.*
• At an angle of 10 degrees off true north (the maximum feasible for this passive solar house) the foundation is 22’ 10” away or an increase of sixteen inches.
• At 16 degrees off true north, (which then removes most of passive solar benefits) the foundation is 25’ 2” away or an increase of forty-four inches.

* There is a discrepancy between the distances first provided the wetlands commission on 3/24/2010 and now. The originally stated distance from the delineation point was 16.7 feet. This error occurred due to an incorrect (over)sizing of the house and garage. That has been corrected and the increase of 3’11” from the wetland area is now correct.


It is our opinion that given the increased energy efficiency as well as the benefits that the environmentally friendly passive solar energy provides in a true north/south orientation outweighs the very minimal sixteen or forty-four inch differential from the delineation.

In regards to wetlands mitigation Teri and I have come up with a plan to help restore much of the natural aspect of the wetlands and the important part it plays in our ecosystem while still being able to enjoy the property as landowners.

First, we intend to clear man-made or natural debris off of the wetlands. This will include a doghouse placed there, a pile of wood chips that were left when the tree that hit the house was removed, as well as any brush piles that we encounter.

Next, we propose that the area between marker 3 and marker 5 continue to be used as residential lawn. (Again please see attached plan) We intend to keep all wetland soil, only that we are permitted that area’s use due to it’s historic nature of a residential area.

Thirdly, we will be growing a wetland garden to enhance/improve current conditions. (Please see plan attached) Bonnie Norman, a past president of the Manchester Garden Club, assisted in developing the wetlands garden. We also plan on only using organic fertilizer to preserve wildlife, as well as avoiding any potential toxic runoff. This will be an ongoing concern since both Teri and I are passionate regarding “green” issues. Lastly, we will place a posted sign within the wetlands stating to the effect that “the area has been designated wetlands and any activity within requires a permit”. In our opinion this mitigation plan will dramatically improve the current state of the wetlands on our property, allow for the continued improvement of this area, while insuring the continued and ongoing function of this type of environment.

Even though the footprint comes fairly close to the wetlands, we feel that the extenuating circumstances of the pre-existing conditions of the lot, the requirements of the passive solar design, as well as the mitigation plan that we have proposed should allow you to find in our favor in granting us approval in this project. Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.