AFS Plan

Gets Wetlands Review

By Andrew Gorosko

Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) members are reviewing redesigned environmental protection plans for a large-scale industrial redevelopment project proposed for an Edmond Road site.

Under the proposal, a large vacant industrial building would be put back into use by a technology firm as a manufacturing plant and a research/development facility. The applicant for the project on the 24-acre site at 11 Edmond Road is Advanced Fusion Systems, LLC. The property formerly was occupied by Pitney-Bowes, Inc.

AFS proposes adding 30,800 square feet of enclosed space to an existing vacant 211,282-square-foot building. The firm also wants to build a 20,000-square-foot pad for a future electric substation. It also wants to expand parking areas on the site from 196 spaces to 296 spaces.

The building that stands on the site was constructed in the early 1970s, before local wetlands protection regulations were in effect.

Engineer Steve Sullivan, of CCA, LLC, of Brookfield, representing the applicant, told IWC members at a June 23 public hearing that current plans call for 296 parking spaces on the site, rather than the previously proposed 302 spaces.

The applicant has revised redevelopment plans for the site with an eye toward reducing possible damage to wetlands there, Mr Sullivan said.

Crushed stone would be used as a surface in some vehicle travel areas on the site as a stormwater drainage improvement, he said. There would be a reduction in the amount of impervious area on the site, compared to the earlier version of the redevelopment design, he added.

IWC members at an initial June 9 public hearing had called for the applicant to redesign the project with an eye toward increased environmental protection of wetlands and watercourses.

The applicant has made design changes in response to concerns about the project raised by the private environmental group known as Trout Unlimited, Mr Sullivan said.

The storm water control devices now proposed for the site would be designed to keep down the temperature of storm water, he said. Also, devices intended to control the water quality of storm water would be positioned on the property, the engineer said.

A plan would be implemented to manage wintertime snow removal and snow storage on the site, he said. Large amounts of snow removed from paved surfaces would be stored at least 25 feet away from wetlands, he said.

Mr Sullivan said that a light-colored roof atop the massive industrial building at the property would be an “environmentally friendly” aspect of the project.

IWC member Philip Kotch asked how the storm water collected atop the industrial building’s roof would be treated.

The roof drainage would be diverted to a stormwater control system at a parking lot, Mr Sullivan responded.

Ecologist Sigrun Gadwa of REMA Ecological Services, LLC, of Manchester, representing the developer, described the wetlands characteristics at the site. She explained the applicant’s strategy to protect the quality of wetlands. The Tom Brook watercourse corridor at the site holds many mature trees, she said.

Ms Gadwa noted that scant bird or animal activity was noted on the property likely due to its adjacency to the heavily traveled Interstate 84.

IWC Chairman Anne Peters said of the applicant’s revisions to the plans, “I appreciate the level of detail. This is very helpful.”

Rob Sibley, town director of planning and land use, said he appreciates the effort that the applicant put into addressing the environmental issues that were raised by IWC members at the June 9 hearing.

To aid it in reviewing the redevelopment application, the IWC enlisted the consulting firm known as Steven Danzer, PhD & Associates, LLC, to independently analyze the environmental protection aspects of the project.   

During the public comment section of the June 23 hearing, Robert Rau, chairman of the town’s Economic Development Commission (EDC), stressed the importance of AFS locating its facility in Newtown.

The firm would create more than 200 jobs here, Mr Rau said, adding that the company would be a major local taxpayer. Also, AFS’s presence in Newtown would attract other firms to town, he predicted.

Mr Rau urged IWC members to approve AFS’s application for a wetlands protection permit.

In an expanded industrial plant, AFS would manufacture high speed electrical switching devices for very high electrical voltages, environmental cleanup equipment, sterilization gear, and X-ray laser microlithography equipment.

The firm already has gained several zoning variances for the project from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The AFS redevelopment proposal also would require Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) review and approval.

Ms Peters said IWC members would review technical materials presented by AFS and resume the IWC public hearing on July 14.