More boat slips could be coming to a private community on Candlewood Lake. First Light is requesting authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to allow the Tax District of Candlewood Isle to install 92 additional boat slips at its facilities in New Fairfield.
The Candlewood Isle Association owns a Clubhouse on the northern tip of the Isle with a marina and tennis courts, adjacent to a more than 100-year old causeway.
The 19 existing moorings at the Clubhouse location would be eliminated. The Tax District currently has 40 boat slips at three docks. There are also 12 slips, two of which are day docks, at the tennis courts. 20 slips would be added at the clubhouse and 72 at the tennis courts.
The Isle currently has 364 residences, of which 111 are waterfront and are permitted to have a dock. About 72% of homeowners do not have dock space.
The 2014 survey shows that the area in the vicinity of the Clubhouse docks is heavily used on peaks days. Eliminating the moorings would free up useable boating space. As for the proposed 72 slips at the tennis court location, this is an area that is currently lightly used, even on peak days.
First Light proposes to waive the shoreline vegetative buffer zone requirement for the slips at the Clubhouse location because the additional docks would be extensions to the existing seasonal docks. The shoreline in that area has a seawall and man-made beach, which have been in place for several decades. The small amount of open space at the Clubhouse location that could be vegetated is already landscaped and has several trees.
First Light has requested the applicant to propose a vegetation restoration plan for the Tennis Courts location. The existing tennis courts and parking lot are located within a few feet of the water. The applicant has agreed to manage and remove the invasive and declining trees and re-establish a native vegetated buffer as well as manage the storm water discharges through low impact development techniques listed in the Shoreline Management Plan.
