P&Z Clears Obstacles To Animal Shelter Project

By Andrew Gorosko

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) has approved two regulatory changes that lay the groundwork for an expected upcoming application from the town government to construct a new municipal animal shelter on Old Farm Road at Fairfield Hills.

The new shelter, which would be built on land where the Fairfield Hills sewage treatment plant formerly stood, would replace the existing outdated town animal shelter off Ethan Allen Road, near the municipal waste transfer station.

In action on January 7, P&Z members modified the zoning regulations for the M-5 (Industrial) zone, allowing an animal shelter as a permitted land use in an M-5 zone.

Additionally, P&Z members changed the land use designation for the area where the animal shelter would be built from Conservation/Agriculture (CA) zoning to M-5 zoning.

Those two zoning rule changes create the regulatory foundation for a future town application to construct an animal shelter at the site.

Both approved rule changes followed the P&Z’s “self-applications” for those changes. In both unanimous votes approving both applications, P&Z members found that the regulatory changes are consistent with the provisions of the 2004 Town Plan of Conservation and Development.

P&Z Chairman Lilla Dean said that the rule changes approved by the P&Z amount to “enabling legislation.”

 The shelter construction proposal is unusual in that the development costs for the projected $1 million facility would come from both public and private sources. Canine Advocates of Newtown (CAN) has spearheaded a private fundraising drive for the animal shelter project.

Town Public Works Director Fred Hurley said it is yet unclear when the town would seek formal approval from the P&Z for the animal shelter complex. Basic plans for the shelter indicate a structure of approximately 4,350 square feet.

The site’s ownership has not yet been transferred from the state to the town, Mr Hurley noted.

Before such a land transfer occurs, the town wants to document that the site, which formerly held a sewage treatment plant, does not hold any unexpected environmental contamination problems and is a suitable location for its planned new use, he said.

Also, Town Attorney David Grogins said the town wants to establish that the site is environmentally safe for its use as an animal shelter before the town takes ownership of the land.

The town soon expects to receive an environmental report from its consultant concerning the environmental characteristics of the property, he said.

Unforeseen environmental problems at the site could translate into potential future cleanup costs for the town, he noted. Such unforeseen problems could include residual contamination at the property stemming from its decades of use for sewage treatment facilities.

Elizabeth Stocker, town director of economic and community development, said that groundwater monitoring wells are in place at the site from which water samples are taken to gauge whether any contamination problems exist there. Water test results are expected soon, she said.

CAN President Virginia Jess said that, so far, the canine advocacy group has privately raised about $220,000 toward the construction of a new animal shelter. The group plans to raise additional funds, she said. The organization has been raising money for the project for about four years, she said.

It is unclear what the total cost of the project would be, considering the need for extensive fencing at such a facility, Ms Jess said.

The existing shelter on Ethan Allen Road is “ancient”, she said, adding that it is too small and has many practical problems. The new animal shelter would have a designated area to hold cats, she added.