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Planning Board approves Choice Property Management (MD Trash) headquarters and canopy with conditions addressing stormwater, wetlands measures and winter‑care
Summary
The board approved a conditional site plan for MD Trash headquarters and covered fleet canopy on a roughly 2‑acre phase‑1 area of a 9.916‑acre lot, subject to conservation‑commission recommendations including wet‑pond lining, oil/water separators, limits on on‑site chlorides for snow management and other conditions.
The Milford Planning Board on April 15 granted conditional approval to Choice Property Management LLC (doing business as MD Trash Removal) for a phase‑1 site plan that would relocate the company’s office, maintenance bays and a covered fleet canopy onto a roughly 2‑acre portion of a 9.916‑acre lot on Old Wilton Road, subject to conditions recommended by the Conservation Commission and town staff.
Chad Bridal of Fieldstone Land Consultants, the project engineer, presented the phase‑1 plan: a 7,840‑square‑foot office and enclosed garage building, plus an 8,400‑square‑foot covered canopy to store an estimated two dozen vehicles. He described internal circulation, 30‑foot truck parking bays, vehicle service bays (including a wash bay), and a stormwater management scheme centered on a wet pond with oil/water separators and deep‑sump catch basins. "All of the paved area drains internally," Bridal said, and the design includes infiltration beds, an outlet structure and treatment consistent with state guidance.
Conservation Commission conditions and town staff concerns: the Conservation Commission recommended a set of measures the applicant accepted or agreed to address. The applicant agreed to line the wet pond (clay specified in the plan) to prevent groundwater interaction, to install oil/water separators and oversized catch basins, and to add native plantings in the wetland buffer. The applicant also agreed to a condition that would avoid on‑site open storage of loose trash and to continue typical operational practice of off‑site disposal for truck contents. The board reviewed a letter from conservation confirming their recommended conditions.
Wash bay and wastewater: the site includes an interior wash bay and a trench drain leading to an oil/water separator; the applicant is working with the town’s engineer and state reviewers on whether an industrial discharge permit will be required and committed to resolving that as a condition of approval.
Winter maintenance: the Conservation Commission sought measures to reduce chloride runoff into wetlands. The applicant agreed to use best practices; the board added an explicit condition prohibiting routine use of sodium chloride or other chlorides for parking‑lot maintenance except in an extreme emergency, and to require documentation of any de‑icing chemicals applied.
Design and site controls: the applicant agreed to add street trees and landscaping along the Old Wilton Road frontage, to extend stone veneer across the road‑facing façade rather than only on the administrative façade, and to revise roof pitch to a steeper profile per board input. The canopy will provide covered plug‑in power for vehicles. The plan also includes snow‑storage areas and gated access; emergency access and Knox box arrangements were discussed with fire and ambulance staff.
Public comment and environmental concerns: a conservation group speaker raised concerns that some logging/brush‑hogging had occurred on the larger lot and urged an environmental review and confirmation of Natural Heritage Bureau findings; the applicant said an NHB check had been done early in project work and the team would follow standard state agency review if required. The board noted the Conservation Commission had discussed the topic and issued its recommendations.
Vote and next steps: the Planning Board voted to approve the phase‑1 site plan with the conservation‑commission recommendations and several additional conditions: wet pond lining, oil/water separators, limitation on routine chloride use (emergency exceptions allowed), documentation of wash‑bay discharge permitting steps, and agreed landscaping and façade changes. The applicant must finalize outstanding state and town permit steps before full build‑out.
Why it matters: the approval relocates a local refuse‑collection business into a larger, more organized facility with covered fleet storage and structured vehicle maintenance; the measures aim to protect nearby wetlands and water resources while enabling operational improvements.
