Milford wetlands agency keeps hearing open on 53‑unit 34 Buick Ave. after experts flag stormwater and erosion gaps

The Milford Inlands Wetlands Agency on Sept. 3 continued its public hearing on IW250036, a proposed 53‑unit development at 34 Buick Avenue, after outside and agency experts identified multiple technical gaps in the applicant''s stormwater and erosion controls that the board said must be resolved before a final decision.

"We are here to evaluate applications solely on the basis of their potential impact to the wetlands and water courses as defined under state law," Chair Brendan Magnan said at the start of the meeting, reminding participants that testimony must be wetlands‑focused. The proposal, submitted under Connecticut General Statute 8-30G, would add buildings, grading, stormwater measures and road improvements within 100 feet of a wetland and watercourse in the Indian River watershed.

Opponents'' attorneys and their technical consultants told the agency the application as filed is incomplete. "The application is defective, incomplete and non compliant with your inland wetlands regulations," attorney Joel Green said, summarizing reviews his clients had commissioned and urging the agency to deny the permit unless the applicant supplies additional engineering and ecological evidence.

Consultant Steve Trinkus, a professional engineer retained by the opponents, told the agency he found the applicant''s permeable‑paver design insufficient to provide water‑quality treatment. He said the cross‑section of the paver system is shown on a slope, not level, which invalidates the applicant''s storage calculations; soil test pits were not…