Coventry residents press council to enforce court-ordered buffer at Hopkins Hill trucking site

Neighbors of a trucking operation at 225 Hopkins Hill Road urged the Coventry Town Council on Monday to press for enforcement of a superior court order that required restoration of a vegetative buffer along the property line.

Cathy Thoreau, who identified herself as living at 6 Helen Avenue, told the council the superior court issued a decision in September 2018 recognizing the site’s existing commercial use but imposing six conditions, including a requirement that a vegetative buffer destroyed by machines be restored. “The absence of the buffer has caused ongoing disruption over the years, including loss of privacy, increased noise, poor air quality, and intrusion from commercial operations adjacent to our homes,” Thoreau said.

Town Manager said the original court order recognized the property’s nonconforming commercial use and imposed limits on expansion and truck idling, but he told the council the order’s requirement to restore the buffer may not automatically bind the property’s new owner unless the restriction was recorded in the deed. He said the business operating there was sold in January 2025 and the town’s previous solicitor advised that, unless the judgment or condition appears in recorded title, the new owner might not be legally obligated to install the buffer.

Councilman Hall pressed staff on remedies the town might pursue, including whether the judgment could be recorded against the land so it would “run with the property,” which would bind subsequent owners. The Acting Solicitor advised that the town needs additional legal research to determine whether the superior court’s remedy can be enforced against the current owner by recording a deed restriction or returning to court.

Neighbor Tyler Albert echoed the plea for a “dense vegetative buffer” and pointed to the court’s language that restoration should be 20–50 feet where possible. “Dense meaning to me is that you can’t see, you can’t smell, you can’t hear through something that’s dense,” Albert said.

Manager said staff has attempted outreach to the new owner and that neighbors remain unhappy because efforts to restore the buffer stalled after the change in ownership. The manager asked the Acting Solicitor to research enforcement options and return to the council with recommendations.

Next steps: the council directed staff and the solicitor to research whether the 2018 judgment can be recorded or otherwise enforced against the current owner and to report back; no formal enforcement action was taken at Monday’s meeting.