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Attorney: Fresh Meadow Road storage building will avoid direct wetland impact; consultant outlines protections
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Summary
At the April 21 meeting, attorney Timothy Lee said a proposed 100-by-80-foot industrial storage building at Fresh Meadow Road would fit in the dry area and “does not involve any direct wetland impact.” Consultant Jeff Gordon described mitigation including a biofiltration area, Jersey barriers along the Cove River and silt fencing.
On April 21, 2026, the West Haven Inland Wetland Watercourse Conservation and Open Space Commission heard Application 00326 from GC Realty LLC to construct a 100-by-80-foot industrial storage building at Fresh Meadow Road.
Timothy Lee, attorney for GC Realty, told the commission the zoning board of appeals granted a front-yard variance that shifts the 50-foot setback by 25 feet, allowing the building to be sited within the property’s dry area. "So the proposal does not involve any direct, wetland impact," Lee said. Lee identified himself as counsel for GC Realty and said the building is intended to shelter machinery operated by a tenant, Colonna Concrete and Masonry Construction Company.
Jeff Gordon, an environmental planner and president of Codas Bodie and Associates, said the building footprint is about 8,000 square feet on an approximately 10,000-square-foot paved lot. Gordon said most existing pavement would be removed and the structure would reduce impervious coverage, which he said would lower the risk of runoff migrating into adjoining wetlands.
Gordon outlined mitigation measures the applicant proposes to add: a biofiltration area to the west to capture runoff from the paved lot, enhanced Jersey barrier protection along the Cove River and the wetland fringe, and silt fencing around the wetland perimeter during construction. He also noted the project will include the number of parking spaces required to meet handicap-accessibility requirements.
The commission’s chair read the application into the record and confirmed the agency’s authority under the Connecticut General Statutes and the City of West Haven’s inland wetland regulations (section 72). The commission approved last month’s meeting minutes after a motion from the chair; the vote was recorded as “Aye.”
No formal decision on Application 00326 was recorded at the April 21 meeting. The presentation concluded with the applicant’s request to incorporate minutes from the prior hearing into the record; the chair confirmed those minutes are available.
