Commission clears Waveny Care Center expansion with wetland creation and extensive stormwater upgrades

The Inland Wetlands Commission unanimously approved Jan. 20 a major application by Waveny Life Care Network to expand the Waveny Care Center at 83 Farm Road with a roughly 30‑bed addition, new parking and a reshaped southeastern courtyard that includes engineered wetland creation.

The applicant team, led by attorney Michael Sweeney and Waveny CEO Russ Barksdale, presented civil engineering by Kurt Lowenstein (LandTech), ecological design by Anthony Zemba (LandTech), landscape architecture by Tom Cross (Westout Associates) and architectural plans by Greg Biancardi (Amenta/Emma Architects). The expansion adds a single‑level 30‑bed wing above an entry/lobby, reconfigures drop‑off circulation, constructs retaining walls and adds parking spaces; a portion of the new parking and retaining walls is inside the Upland Review Area adjacent to high‑quality wetlands.

Kurt Lowenstein explained the drainage approach: currently much of the site's impervious runoff is routed into a pocket wetland via existing catch basins and roof leaders. The project will add a daisy‑chain of subsurface infiltration chambers (144 units), hydrodynamic separators and sediment forebays to treat both new and existing impervious area runoff, reduce peak flows and provide water‑quality treatment consistent with the Connecticut 2024 stormwater manual. Lowenstein said the design routes additional runoff through treatment devices and meters discharge to the downstream wetland corridor.

Site ecologist Anthony Zemba described a plan to fill and then regrade a degraded man‑made basin at the southeast corner and create a larger, functioning wetland in its place (roughly 3,200 square feet created versus about 2,300 square feet filled). The new wetland area will include two sediment forebays, tree and shrub plantings (seven tree species, eight shrub species) and a wetland seed mix aimed at pollinator value, seasonal bloom and structural diversity to increase habitat value and reduce invasive colonization. Zemba said invasive phragmites and reed stands in the existing depression will be removed, treated and the basin reconstructed with new planting media to avoid reintroduction of rhizomes.

The commission discussed an on‑site sanitary pump station that historically lies within wetlands; LandTech reported the pump station is in good working order and that full operational logs and maintenance records will be provided. Town engineer Maria Coplett had submitted a technical comment letter asking for plan clarifications (structural wall certification, sanitary station logs, an accessible route plan and more detailed logistics). The applicant team said it will supply the requested technical details and documentation and asked that the pump‑station operational records be provided as part of the post‑hearing submittals; commissioners did not require relocation of the pump station because moving it would increase wetland disturbance.

Commissioners indicated they were most concerned with construction logistics and the limit of disturbance; the applicant provided a preliminary three‑phase construction logistics plan showing silt fencing, temporary access drives, staging areas and off‑site employee parking agreements with the school and Park & Rec for peak construction periods. The commission asked staff to receive final construction logistics, structural wall certification and sanitary‑station logs before building permit review.

Ending: The commission approved the Waveny expansion with the condition that the applicant provide detailed responses to the town engineer’s comments, a construction logistics plan restricted to the established limit of disturbance, a structural certification of retaining walls and maintenance/operation logs for the sanitary pump station; staff will collect as‑built documentation and final planting/creation certification.