The Inland-Wetlands Commission (IWC) has started its environmental review of a proposal to greatly expand the size of an industrial building on Schoolhouse Hill Road.

At their September 9 meeting, IWC members began their review of Rand-Whitney Container Newtown’s LLC’s proposal to increase its 127,500-square-foot factory at 32 Schoolhouse Hill Road to 308,000 square feet. The firm is seeking the expansion project to modernize its corrugated cardboard container manufacturing process.

As part of the project, the firm proposes relocating and reconfiguring the intersection of Schoolhouse Hill Road and Edmond Road to improve traffic safety in the area.

Will Walter, a civil engineer with BSC Group of Glastonbury, representing the applicant, told IWC members that one wetland at the 18.74-acre site would be affected as a result of drainage ditch construction, according to IWC records. Environmental protection measures would be taken, he said.

According to the application to the IWC, construction is expected to take about 12 months to complete. Items to be reviewed by the IWC include the building expansion, parking facilities, loading areas, stormwater control measures, public utility installation, lighting, and landscaping.

IWC members plan to visit the site in reviewing the environmental aspects of the construction project’s design. The firm is seeking a wetlands/watercourses protection permit from the IWC.

The Planning and Zoning Commission was scheduled to start its review of the Rand-Whitney expansion proposal at a public hearing on the night of September 17, after the deadline for this print edition of The Bee. The firm is seeking a site development plan approval from the P&Z.

According to the P&Z application, the number of parking spaces at the site would increase from 125 to 169. Also, the amount of pavement there would increase from 157,000 square feet to 270,000 square feet.

The P&Z application includes a technical report on the traffic/access aspects of the expansion proposal. The expansion would result in additional tractor-trailer truck traffic in the area. The planned new intersection of Church Hill Road, Edmond Road, and Commerce Road would be used by factory-related truck traffic.

In August, the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) granted Rand-Whitney two zoning variances, which the company sought for the expansion project.

ZBA members unanimously approved Rand-Whitney’s request for the zoning variances concerning the maximum percentage of lot coverage by structures, and also the minimum front-yard setback distance at the property, which is in a M-1 (Industrial) zone.

At the ZBA session, several residents of the nearby Budd Drive area registered their concerns about noise emanating from the existing factory and the noise caused by the trucks that travel to and from the factory.

The Edmond Road corridor has experienced some significant industrial expansion during the past decade, including the expansion and conversion of a former Pitney-Bowes facility by Advanced Fusion Systems at 11 Edmond Road, and the construction of industrial space by 5-K Enterprises Inc at 3 Edmond Road.

Besides Newtown, Rand-Whitney has eight other industrial locations, including Waterbury, as well as facilities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Ireland.