HALFMOON — Halfmoon residents living near a proposed 81-lot development bordered by Harris and Guideboard roads are concerned about the water runoff to their properties from an area that is predominantly wetlands.

The large construction project, formerly called Spinuzza Subdivision and now known as Brookfield Place, has gone through several design changes after review by the town’s Planning Board, but neighbors are asking Landmark Development Company to rethink the newest version.

Just 53 of the total 73 acres at the site are buildable land, and about 40 percent of the property is slated to be preserved as common open space and land preservation areas near the proposed lots.

Developers said the 81 units are designed for the “empty nester market,” or people looking for smaller homes on land averaging 22,000 square-feet. Developers have not yet determined a price range for the homes.

Storm water management parcels, which help prevent runoff onto neighboring properties, are included in the design, but residents aren’t convinced the plan will safeguard their homes that are already threatened by flooding. The plans also include substantial vegetation at the property lines to contain excessive surface water.

Les Douglas lives about 50 feet from the site and said even melting snow turns his lawn into a slushy mess.

“This property floods, and a road or cleared land in there would make it worse,” Douglas said. “Drainage is also very poor. In 1996, water went right up to our roof.”

Chris Law of Oregon Trail said the land is already dotted with swampy areas.

“With every storm the creeks are filled to capacity, and it’s a myth that a runoff plan will change it,” Law said. “I believe our properties will be unusable.”

Another neighbor, while acknowledging change is necessary for town growth, asked Planning Board members to walk the site and view the property firsthand.

“Development in the last 10 years has put Halfmoon on the map, but this area is farmland, and if they take away vegetation, corn and hay fields, it will cause runoff,” Catherine Sokolowski said. “Just drive down Harris Road; it’s a forest there. The last thing I want to see is houses, backyards and pools. This would be a clustered group of 80 homes in a small site.”

Others have worries about animals who make their homes the heavily forested site.

“This density of homes is criminal given the animals who live there,” Lois Smith-Law said. “They will be driven out to the roads to be hit by cars.”

Project engineer Ivan Zdrahal said the three sites that will be set up for storm water management border the parcel’s perimeter and have been approved by the state Department of Environmental Conservation as being adequate, as has the plan for building on wetlands.

Halfmoon Planning Board Chairman Steven Watts said the board has been strict about the flooding issues.

“The board has required the builders to be much more cognizant of flooding, and the plans are different now, with improved engineering to ward off any of these water issues,” Watts said. “We know the parcel already has standing water, and the town engineers won’t approve the plan unless it’s reliable. We’re holding [builders] to a much higher standard, even if it does affect the cost of the homes and the project overall.”

Watts said the Planning Board and town engineer will continue to review the project before giving any approvals for the project.