Ledyard — Nearby residents of the town's first proposed open-space subdivision will get to hear revised plans from the developer at a public hearing on Thursday.    

The hearing for the Quakertown Meadows subdivision at 423 Colonel Ledyard Highway was extended into a third month to allow the applicant, Green Falls Associates, to respond to concerns expressed by residents during a crowded meeting last month.

The revised plans reduce the number of lots to 29 and lot sizes are now larger, ranging from around 0.4 acres to just under an acre.

The three-bedroom homes could cost between $275,000 and $350,000, Planning and Zoning Chairman Mike Cherry estimated.

Melissa Cochran, who lives at 419 Colonel Ledyard Highway, said she was displeased because trees north of her property were removed, and she was concerned about the noise the construction would bring.

She has lived there since 1999, and the proposed road into the subdivision would be next to her property line.

"I bought my house in a quiet location and I didn't want to listen to homes being built," Cochran said.

The land where the proposed development would be built had belonged to the Watrous family since it was willed to Nathan Watrous in 1925, according to a publication from the Ledyard Historical Society.

It was bought by a development company in 2009, which soon after sold off three acres that included the Watrous house.

Several of the Watrous' long-time neighbors said they have concerns about the development.

Fred and Sarah Contrata, who have lived at 133 Lambtown Road since 1969, objected to the density of the lots and the impact they might have on their home's well.

The proposed subdivision uses Ledyard's open-space regulations, which allow additional flexibility for developments that preserve at least 60 percent of the land.

The northern section of the property, a total of 33.9 acres, is proposed as open space.

The design guidelines note that open space subdivisions may "place single-family residential dwellings and septic systems on more compact lots" to increase the amount of land available as open space.

"If (the developer) would develop the property on 1-acre or 2-acre lots, I would have no objection to him using the property," Fred Contrata said.

Robert and Jean Scialabba, owners of 125 Lambtown Road, which abuts the development, said they were friendly with the Watrous family and grazed sheep on their property before it was sold.

Both have been involved in Friends of Watrous Farm, a local group of residents that raised $5,000 last month to hire a consultant to review the subdivision plans.

There is "not a lot of movement" in the neighborhood, according to Robert Scialabba, who said they have lived there for 37 years.

Jean Scialabba noted that the Groton Open Space Commission had preserved two properties — Candlewood Ridge in Groton and Avery Farm, split between Groton and Ledyard — that could theoretically create a contiguous greenway with the Watrous farm.

Open space land may be preserved naturally, as a park or for agricultural purposes.

Jean Scialabba pointed to the Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge, a plan by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect species that live in shrubland through conservation easements and land purchases, as a "great use" for the property.

While natural meadowland open space is his first choice, Robert Scialabba noted that farming is a tradition in Ledyard and that he would like to see a greater commitment from the town.

"It would be nice if the town made a decision (whether) they want to stick with their agricultural roots," he said.

The public hearing will continue at 7 p.m. Thursday in the council chambers of the Town Hall Annex.

n.lynch@theday.com