Conservation Commission Raises Environmental Concerns Over Technology Park

By Andrew Gorosko

Conservation Commission members are urging the Economic Development Commission (EDC) to avoid potential environmental damage from the construction and presence of a planned town-developed industrial area, known as Newtown Technology Park, on land near Deep Brook, which is a pristine wild trout breeding stream.

Conservation Commission members and others concerned about the prospect for potential environmental damage to the brook attended a January 16 EDC session to stress their viewpoint that a less intensive use of the site than currently envisioned would be environmentally wiser.

With the EDC serving as the developer, the town plans to create an industrial park on state-donated land located near Commerce Park, which is an existing industrial park on Commerce Road.

Preliminary plans describe a ten-lot industrial subdivision on a 71.9-acre site, which includes steep areas and wet areas. Of that site, 37.5 acres would be designated for development, and 34.4 acres would be reserved as open space land.

The project has been in the discussion stages for several years. A decade ago, the town acquired land on the west side of Commerce Road from which a spur road would be extended for access to the technology park site.

The situation is unusual because private firms are normally the developers of industrial subdivisions, not government agencies. The EDC is an appointive agency, whose role is promoting economic growth.

EDC Chairman Chet Hopper said town officials are considering a possible future extension of the planned technology park road southward to Wasserman Way to serve as a local north-south connector road.

Mr Hopper said that the engineering firm hired by the town to create conceptual plans for the technology park has illustrated the maximum potential development of the site. “We have laid out the maximum possible development on that property,” he said. 

Assuming that all buildings that would be constructed on the site would be office buildings, the technology park would contain parking spaces for a maximum 700 vehicles, he said. If all buildings in the industrial park were factories, there would be parking provided for a maximum 250 vehicles, he added.

The stormwater control devices to be used on the site would meet applicable environmental standards, he said.

“We will be glad to work with you folks,” Mr Hopper told the Conservation Commission members and others present at the January 16 session. Ten people were in the audience at the meeting.

 

Response

Conservation Commission member George Ferguson responded, “We appreciate your acknowledging and recognizing the Conservation Commission as having standing in this matter. We look forward to working with you.”

Marjorie Cramer, a Conservation Commission member, noted that the development site sits above the environmentally sensitive Pootatuck aquifer, which is an underground water source. It is difficult to know what effects the technology park would have on the environment without knowing what specific types of industry would locate there, she said.

Mr Hopper assured Ms Cramer that the industrial uses in the technology park would be strictly subject to applicable aquifer protection regulations.

“Because this is a town project, we’re not trying to shortcut anything,” he said. As the facility’s developer, the EDC would allow only the land uses that are permitted in M-5 (Industrial ) zones, he said.

Conservation Commission member Patricia Barkman asked whether archaeological studies have been performed on the development site.

Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker responded that state historical officials have reviewed a report on the archaeological findings for the section of the site that would be developed, as is required.

 Inland Wetlands Commission member Sally O’Neil asked whether the EDC has yet performed an economic analysis describing how much revenue growth the town would achieve by developing the technology park.

Mr Hopper responded that the sale of building lots is expected to generate $3 million to $5 million in real estate revenue. If the proceeds from land sales should only cover the costs of the developing the industrial subdivision, the town would still benefit because the technology park would generate future property tax revenue, he said.

Ms O’Neil suggested that the town lease land in the technology park to industrial firms rather than selling it to them.

It would be simpler for the town to sell the land to firms and place various legal restrictions on the land’s use, Mr Hopper said. The EDC does not want to involve the town in long-term lease agreements, he said.

EDC member Kim Danziger said, “We recognize the sensitivity of the land…We’re trying to take everyone’s concerns into account.”

The EDC will consider the environmental, economic, and aesthetic aspects of developing the site, he said. The site will be visible from Queen Street, he noted.

Ms Stocker said that the site has M-5 zoning because the adjacent Commerce Park has M-5 zoning.

Mr Ferguson said that in view of the several schools located in the general area of the technology park site, the town should be careful about the types of industries allowed there.

Mr Hopper pointed out that the site is adjacent to other industrial land. He added that the town may need to modify the site’s zoning specifications to better control the types of businesses that would be allowed in the technology park.

In response to audience members’ concerns over potential environmental hazards posed by the intensity of development at the site, Mr Danziger said that the EDC’s conceptual plans amount to “working drawings.”

“These are not application documents in any way, shape, or form,” he said. It is unclear when development applications will be submitted to town land use agencies for formal review, he said.

Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman William O’Neil recommended that the EDC form a steering committee, including members of town land use agencies, to engender good intra-governmental communications on the technology park project. Environmental issues are the largest issues facing the project, he said.