Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Recreational Trail topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission hears plan for 10-foot multiuse trail linking Goodwin Street to city greenway; discussion continued pending wetlands review
Summary
City engineer presented a proposed 10-foot multiuse paved trail using an abandoned rail corridor to connect Goodwin Street and Prospect Street; commissioners and residents discussed easements, parking, wetlands and maintenance. The commission tabled final action pending inland wetlands approval and final easement language.
The Torrington Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on June 11 for a proposal to construct a 10-foot-wide paved multiuse recreational trail that would extend along an abandoned railway corridor from Goodwin Street north toward Newfield Road and provide a southern connection into Prospect Street bike lanes.
City engineer Paul Cousins presented the design, describing a primarily paved 10-foot trail that would run through a wooded corridor, include a small five-car parking area at the Goodwin Street trailhead, cross a short wetland with two culverts, and use a secured access easement through the Ocean State Job Lot plaza. Cousins said the project is intended to improve neighborhood connectivity, support future access to a city-owned 10-acre parcel off Red Mountain Avenue and dovetail with planned McDermott Avenue roadway upgrades.
Cousins described the environmental steps: "A short segment of the trail crosses a small wetland where two culverts will be installed to maintain natural drainage," he said, and added that the design emphasizes preservation of vegetation, limited lighting and minimal signage. He said the city will coordinate erosion and stormwater controls and that the project is partially funded by a Recreational Trails grant from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) with a city match; the city will also incorporate McDermott Avenue reconstruction work as part of the project match.
Public commenters who live near the corridor generally supported reclaiming unused rail property for recreation. Robert Starr, who lives in the area, said he has long wanted a safe place to walk and would use the trail. Other residents raised concerns about existing homeless encampments, the stability and access across the old railway bridge at Newfield Road, liability for easement segments that cross private plaza property and snow removal and winter maintenance.
Commissioners asked for detail on the Ocean State easement, liability and maintenance; Cousins said the city is negotiating a secured access easement and would provide fencing and barriers to keep trail users in the corridor and protect adjacent private property. He said Ocean State had indicated approval in concept and that an electric-utility easement held by Eversource adds complexity to the legal work. Cousins also said the city will request the Inland Wetlands Commission to review the culvert work and is awaiting that approval.
No final approval was granted. The commission tabled action pending inland wetlands approval and receipt of finalized access-easement language for the Ocean State parcel and other technical materials. The planner noted the wetlands application is pending and advised the commission to await that record before moving to approval.
What’s next: The project team expects to finalize easement paperwork, complete the wetlands review and put the project out to bid; Cousins said construction could start this fall or next spring depending on scheduling and that completion could be targeted for the following summer. The commission formally tabled further action until the wetlands matter is resolved and requisite easement documents are in hand.
