Milford IWA approves 20‑unit East Rutland housing project with stormwater and habitat conditions

The Milford Inland Wetlands Agency on July 2 unanimously approved application IW‑25‑0029 for a 20‑unit affordable housing project at 83 East Rutland Road, finding that the proposed work, with conditions, will not adversely affect adjacent wetlands and watercourses.

Agency staff advised the commission that proposed improvements lie within the upland review area but that on revised plans the closest building is about 55 feet from off‑site wetlands and parking edges are roughly 49 feet away. The applicant added a revised hydrology summary sheet and a snow‑storage plan (sheet S10) and submitted responses to the city engineer; the city engineer’s latest memo stated that the stormwater mitigation “appears to be satisfactory.”

Engineer Ronald Wozmer told the agency, “This plan demonstrates that we can store approximately a 12 inch snowstorm,” and described a snow management approach that calls for off‑site removal if multiple storms exhaust on‑site storage. Wetland scientist and landscape architect Matthew Popp said the plan now includes a short extension of a retaining wall and recommended removing “2 feet of the existing wall so any turtles that may walk up in there don't get trapped in that b shaped area.” The commission added a condition to implement that minor modification under the direction of the wetland biologist.

The approval includes standard site controls: a construction plan must be submitted before a building permit is taken out; soil erosion and sedimentation controls must be installed and maintained in accordance with CTDEP (Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection) erosion and sedimentation control guidance; a wetland notification will be placed on the as‑built drawings and in the property deed; the permittee must comply with the city engineer’s stormwater requirements; adjustments to landscaping will be made per the project biologist; and a construction bond will be posted and certified. The motion as amended set the permit effective date as July 2, 2025, and an expiration date of July 2030 unless otherwise provided by statute.

The commissioners voted by roll call; recorded votes were affirmative from Daniel Boetticher, Brian Black, Jim Connors, Matthew Connors, Julie Valvo, Raymond Gradwell and Chair Bridal Magnan. The motion carried unanimously.

The commission recorded several administrative conditions designed to ensure the as‑built system matches the approved design: submission of final construction plans, a draft calculation for a construction bond to be submitted for review within 90 days of final approval, posting of the bond with MIWA for sedimentation/erosion controls, an as‑built showing finished two‑foot contours and site structures, and certification by the project engineer that the completed project meets the design intent before bond release.

The agency’s decision closed the item for tonight; the applicant was thanked for their participation and expertise and the file will proceed according to the conditions set by the commission.