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Commission closes public hearing on Range Road corrective plan but leaves decision for later
Summary
The Inland Wetlands Agency heard a corrective-action plan for work at a Range Road property, discussed removal of fill and restoration planting, and closed the public hearing; commissioners asked for clarifications before making a decision.
The Norwalk Conservation Commission/Inland Wetlands Agency on Jan. 28 closed the public hearing for a corrective-action application at Range Road (S24-645) and discussed, but did not decide, whether the proposed restoration sufficiently remedies previous impacts to wetlands and the upland review area.
Kate Throckmorton, a licensed landscape architect with Environmental Land Solutions of Norwalk, presented a plan to remove imported fill from roughly 1,100 square feet of impacted wetland, decompact the soil, and replant with native species. Throckmorton said the plan includes seeding with a meadow mix, 26 native shrubs, an understory tree, an edge to the gravel walk to prevent migration of gravel into the wetland, a construction sequence to minimize re‑disturbance and details for erosion control.
Commissioners asked about filtration and runoff from the upland and expressed concern about the existing synthetic turf and a gravel path that sits close to the wetland boundary. Throckmorton said the upper recreation areas are pervious and that reconfiguration did not increase impervious surface; she recommended a meadow seed mix to stabilize the disturbed ground immediately and described steps to limit machinery travel: work will start at the north end and proceed back to avoid reworking restored areas. She confirmed access for machinery would be from the south between the house and a shed and that handwork would be part of the sequence.
Several commissioners pressed whether a planting scheme emphasizing canopy trees would be preferable to a meadow mix; Throckmorton said seeding followed by shrub planting would stabilize soil quickly and that trees could be considered later or substituted for some shrubs if the commission preferred. Commissioners also asked about microplastics and degradation of synthetic turf; concerns about turf lifespan and potential microplastic or PFAS impacts were noted in discussion.
No members of the public spoke on this item. After discussion, a commissioner moved and the commission voted to close the public hearing. The commission did not render a final decision on the corrective-action application at the Jan. 28 meeting; staff advised that the record is closed and that commissioners should base any future decision on the submitted application materials and tonight’s testimony.
