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Developers shrink Plainville Road plan after wetland delineation; commission accepts application for review and schedules site walk
Summary
The Inland Wetlands Commission accepted JBS Developers’ application for 598 Plainville Road on March 4 after consultants revised plans following a new wetland delineation. Presenters said units were reduced from 20 to 18, detention basins and grouped infiltration systems are proposed, and a site walk was scheduled.
The Town of Farmington Inland Wetlands Commission on March 4 accepted for review a revised application for JBS Developers’ 598 Plainville Road project after an updated wetland delineation prompted design changes.
Brian Panacom of Cole Civil & Survey told commissioners the applicant reduced the plan from 20 units to 18 and reworked the site to limit fill and wetland impacts. "We have 3.7 acres of upland review impact with the development; however, of that 3.7 acres only 1.2 acres would be actually new disturbance," Panacom said, describing larger detention basins and changes to building footprints.
Soil scientist David Lord, who carried out the wetland delineation and function/value assessment, described the on‑site wetlands as herbaceous with poorly to very poorly drained soils and intermittent water courses. "There’s no indication of any vernal pool activity in those pockets of wetland," Lord said, and he flagged the resource’s value for sediment and nutrient retention and local wildlife habitat.
Commissioners and staff probed erosion‑control and stormwater details. Panacom said the design directs roof runoff in areas with suitable soils to grouped underground infiltration systems and routes remaining runoff to street catch basins feeding a pretreatment (four‑bay) structure and a larger detention basin. "Pretty much all of the runoff coming off of the site gets intercepted by one of those basins," he said, noting the team is exploring whether reducing basin depth could increase surface area for infiltration and groundwater recharge.
The applicant also described temporary stone check dams and construction‑phase swales to settle sediment before it reaches basins, raised some basement slabs to reduce footing‑drain contact with groundwater, and proposed a combination of fencing and a proposed Town conservation easement to delineate the wetland edge to future homeowners.
Commissioners requested additional detail in advance of the planned site visit: flagging edges of potential wetland areas, staking clearing limits and proposed building corners, and showing alternative building footprints that might shift units farther from wetland pockets. The commission and applicant agreed to schedule a site walk for March 15 (weather‑dependent) and to mark corners and clearing limits in the field so the commission can evaluate disturbance and distances on site.
The motion before the commission was to accept the application for review; the commission carried the motion by voice vote. The acceptance does not constitute final permit approval; staff and the applicant will address remaining technical comments and return material for the commission’s final decision.
Next steps: a site walk and additional plan revisions addressing flagged footprints, fencing/placarding, and any staff comments on stormwater details.
