Stratford zoning panel tables six applications for cleanup and fill at former Allied Signal site

The Stratford Zoning Commission on July 10 heard a detailed presentation from Point Stratford Renewal LLC on its plan to demolish, remediate and regrade roughly 72 acres of the former Allied Signal/AFFCO property and then tabled six related applications to give staff time to finalize conditions.

Attorney Barry Knott and the applicant team told the commission the remediation effort will include abatement of regulated materials (asbestos, PCBs), building decommissioning and demolition, construction of a soil cap to meet FEMA elevation requirements and staged stormwater controls. Knott said the horizontal remediation work will cost about $45,000,000 and that his clients took title to the site from the U.S. Army on April 2, 2024 “for $1.”

The developer described a stepwise work plan: obtain remaining state permits, mobilize temporary site controls and contractor facilities, conduct licensed abatement and staged demolition by Northstar Demolition, and import and place engineered fill in compacted 18-inch lifts to raise average site elevation from about 7 feet above mean high water toward FEMA-required elevations. The team said the DEEP-approved closure/remedial action plan and a pending state general permit for stormwater from construction are central prerequisites.

Licensed environmental professionals explained DEEP’s material-control expectations: imported fill will be sourced by a commercial supplier (Clean Earth), must be accompanied by material records and laboratory analyses, be certified by a licensed professional, pass third-party review and be visually inspected and weighed on delivery. A contractor tracking-pad and routine inspections are in the erosion- and sediment-control plan.

Commission debate centered on operational controls for imported soil and stockpiles. Town staff and several commissioners said earlier notes had described stockpiles closer to 10–12 feet high; the applicant said active operational piles could reach 30 feet during busy delivery periods. Jay Hebansky, the planning and zoning administrator, recommended conditions including a 60-foot setback from Main Street on the south parcel, a 30-foot setback on the north parcel, stabilization of stockpiles left longer than 30 days, and a maximum stockpile height of 21 feet as a compromise between staff and the applicant: “No pile of fill should be taller than 21 feet,” he said.

Commissioners also pressed the applicant on truck routing and dust controls. The team said trucks will use Exit 30 to Lordship Boulevard, Access Road and Snippens Lane and that tracking pads, dust mitigation, daily site management and an emergency action plan for storm events are part of the DEEP-submitted plans. Two residents who spoke during public comment endorsed the project for removing a long-vacant, contaminated property and for potential local hiring.

After staff summarized Waterfront Harbor Management Commission comments and a DEEP letter containing 11 recommended conditions of approval, a motion to table the six applications so staff could incorporate those conditions and finalize revised plans passed by roll call, 3–2. The commission directed staff to prepare modified motions and to coordinate a follow-up meeting to return the items for separate votes. Jay Hebansky said he would work with the chair and the applicant on a timeline; the commission tentatively held July 24 and noted a public zoning-regulation workshop set for Sept. 11.

What’s next: the commission asked for revised plan sets and formal sign-offs from the town engineer and health department and for DEEP-recommended conditions to be incorporated into the local approvals before any site work, stockpiling or demolition begins. The applications remain tabled until the commission reconvenes to consider the revised conditions.