Simsbury agency finds McLean senior‑housing plan may significantly affect wetlands; orders third‑party review, schedules public hearing

The Simsbury Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Agency voted unanimously that McLean’s revised Meadow Homes application (CC‑25‑025) may have a significant impact on wetlands and watercourses, directed staff to solicit independent third‑party engineering and wetland reviews, and scheduled a public hearing for Dec. 16, 2025, at 7 p.m. at the Blueberry of Simsbury.

The Meadow Homes proposal, presented by attorneys and consultants for McLean, seeks to construct approximately 40 residential units at the existing retirement community at 75 Ray Pond Road. Attorney T.J. Donahue said the project was revised after earlier feedback and ecological study, and described it as “designed to meet a clear and pressing need for high quality homes that allow older adults to remain close to their families and support networks.”

Why it matters: the application requests work in regulated upland review areas adjacent to mapped wetlands, and the applicant’s materials describe 3.09 acres of upland review disturbance, zero direct wetland disturbance, and roughly 1,300 square feet of indirect wetland clearing tied to a single proposed wetland crossing. The commission’s motion places the project under a heightened review standard that will require the applicant and reviewers to evaluate feasible and…