Hamden planning commission approves site plan for new Putnam Avenue fire station

The Hamden Planning and Zoning Commission on Feb. 24, 2026 approved a special permit and site plan for a new public fire station at 466 Putnam Avenue, authorizing a 14,056‑square‑foot facility with three apparatus bays, a training tower and associated site work.

The approval, for special permit/site plan 26‑1398 and listed on the meeting agenda as a Town of Hamden project, included a condition that fueling pumps on the site be restricted to authorized town employees. Joseph McDonough moved to approve the plan with the assistant town planner’s memo and language requiring restricted access; Felicia Bond seconded and the motion carried by voice vote.

Staff said the project is sited on a roughly 3.4‑acre wooded parcel at Putnam Avenue and Gallagher Road. Jeff Board, a professional engineer with Bowler Engineering, described the plan’s key elements: “The building itself is a 14,056 square foot fire station,” two ADA stalls, 40 total parking spaces, and two EV spaces; the plan also includes a training tower and vehicle maneuvering templates to demonstrate on‑site circulation. Board said utilities are available on Putnam Avenue and that the sanitary design includes an oil/water separator for apparatus bay drainage.

“The proposed project is to construct a new 14,056 square foot fire station, a training tower, and the associated site work on a vacant 3.4 acre parcel,” Assistant Town Planner Chris Sotto said in his staff report, noting the proposal meets required bulk standards, provides six EV parking spaces in keeping with the staff memo, and includes stormwater features designed to meet the town’s stormwater quality guidance. Sotto recommended approval with typical conditions including soil and erosion controls, required state/town/utility permits, photometric review of fixtures and submission of an updated zoning table prior to permitting.

Fire Chief Shelly Carter said the existing Station 2 dates to about 1908 and described operational and safety shortcomings at the older building. “It’s time to expand,” Carter said, noting the station’s area serves roughly 24,000 people and “responds to over 5,000 calls a year,” and said the new station would provide modern ventilation, decontamination spaces and gender‑inclusive facilities to support firefighter health and recruitment.

Town Engineer Steven White said siting the facility in southern Hamden will shorten response distances and add redundancy. “When I first came here…we were subject to a ransomware attack,” White said, describing plans to house certain IT backups and a small emergency operations center at the station to improve continuity of government in the event of an incident.

Commissioners questioned circulation and parking: the project team said larger apparatus will use a drive‑through bay configuration and that the on‑site apron connects to the staff lot to allow maneuvering without a K‑turn onto Putnam. The commission also discussed signage and striping for staff spaces to reduce the chance of blocked apparatus access; the town will coordinate marking those spaces as part of permit conditions where appropriate.

On the fuel depot, commissioners sought details about safety systems and access control. The engineer said the diesel dispenser will include leak detection, dual‑wall tanks and alarm panels; the commission added a condition that the fueling area be secured and limited to authorized town personnel via a badge/key/fob or similar control.

The motion approved the site plan with the staff report’s recommended conditions, plus the restricted‑access requirement for fueling. Staff noted the applicant must obtain required permits from state agencies, the town and utilities before work begins and must provide an updated site plan and photometric plan before permitting.

Next steps: the applicant will pursue necessary state and local permits and proceed to permitting and construction steps after meeting the conditions set by the commission.