Cheshire council unanimously rejects sale of 58-acre state parcel after residents oppose cold‑storage plan

Cheshire, Conn. — The Cheshire Town Council on Sept. 9 rejected a proposal to sell approximately 58 acres of state‑conveyed land along Route 10 to a private developer after hours of public comment and a heated debate among councilors.

The motion before the council would have approved a term sheet to sell the property to 3 Squared LLC; the council moved and seconded the sale but ultimately voted to deny it unanimously. The vote followed a packed public hearing in which dozens of residents from nearby Birch Drive and the Castle Heights community urged the council to block the transaction, saying a 119,000‑square‑foot cold‑storage warehouse proposed in the developer’s response to the town’s RFP is incompatible with the neighborhood and risks public‑health, safety and environmental harms.

Why it matters: The parcel was conveyed from the state to Cheshire in 2017 with the goal of economic development. Developer 3 Squared’s submission to the town proposes a large cold‑storage building, additional space for light industrial or supportive housing, and other supporting uses. Opponents said the project would create round‑the‑clock truck traffic and refrigeration equipment noise, risk aquifer contamination, erode property values and strain emergency‑response resources.

The developer’s team said the council’s vote would not approve a project plan; attorney Dennis Sanneviva, representing the applicant, told the council that “a positive vote tonight to sell the property to my client is not a vote on this proposal. It's a vote to allow the process to continue.” The applicant presented a noise analysis prepared by GZA GeoEnvironmental and…