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Developers propose travel center, diesel pumps and warehouse near I‑84; commissioners raise traffic and runoff concerns
Summary
At a hybrid public hearing, Noble Energy’s team outlined a scaled‑back plan for 8261 Fenaman Road that would limit development to about 7.5 acres, place roughly 75 acres in a conservation easement and add a travel center with 16 gas and five diesel pumps and an 18,000 sq ft warehouse; residents and commissioners pressed the applicant on traffic, runoff to Batterson Park Pond and impacts to vernal pools and listed species.
A public hearing held April 15 by the Town of Farmington Inland Wetlands Commission drew hours of technical testimony and public concern about a proposed travel center, fuel pumps and an accompanying warehouse on a largely wooded 86‑acre parcel along Interstate 84.
Taylor Capel, an engineer with Soleie Engineering, presented a revised layout that the applicant says substantially reduces wetlands impacts from an earlier design. Capel said the development footprint would be limited to roughly 7.5 acres and that the applicant would place about 75 acres under a conservation easement. "The conservation easement itself will be approximately 75 acres in total area," he said during the presentation.
The current plan, Capel said, reduces the warehouse footprint from 28,000 to about 18,000 square feet and trims the travel center to about 8,400 square feet. The proposal would include 16 gasoline pumps and five high‑speed diesel pumps, and underground fuel tanks sited between the convenience building and diesel pumps, Capel said.
Jackson Smith of William Kenny Associates, the project’s wetland consultant, told commissioners his firm ‘‘identified and delineated three wetland and water course systems at the property’’ and that more than half the parcel is wetlands. He and colleague Bill Kenny described mitigation measures including two underground retention systems, hydrodynamic separators and targeted wetland expansion and planting to improve on‑site water‑quality functions.
Applicant Michael Frisbee said the warehouse is intended as a small distribution center in an "out‑and‑back" operation, not a 24‑hour logistics hub. "It's not an Amazon. It's not a Target," Frisbee said, describing local operators that would use the site.
Commissioners and members of the public pressed the team on several points. Attorney Jeffrey Drestler raised nearby schools and bus traffic and asked how additional truck and vehicle movements would affect school pickup and drop‑off. Drestler said, "There are four schools within a half mile of this development." Several callers and attendees urged a more detailed traffic study and mitigation, and asked whether road widening on Fenaman Road would be needed — a change that could itself affect adjacent wetlands.
Residents also raised water‑quality worries. Speaker Jeff and other commenters warned that stormwater and hydrocarbons from fuel and truck areas could reach Batterson Park Pond via existing drainage paths. The applicant’s engineers said the design includes pre‑treatment (hydrodynamic separators and catch‑basin filters) and underground retention prior to discharge, and said they would coordinate with the town on off‑site improvements if planning and zoning requires them.
Wetlands scientists from William Kenny Associates noted the site contains high‑functioning wetland systems and two vernal pools. Jackson Smith said field monitoring in early April documented spotted salamander egg masses in one pool and both wood frog and spotted salamander egg masses in a second pool. He recommended timing restrictions and exclusionary fencing if construction could affect sensitive species, and described proposed measures to preserve vernal‑pool envelopes and critical terrestrial habitat.
Public commenters asked for more time for staff review. The commission said staff had not completed a second technical review and therefore would not take a final vote; the hearing was left open for further written public comment and additional staff review. Commissioners said planning and zoning would separately review traffic impacts and any off‑site road modifications; the applicant acknowledged a forthcoming traffic report for that review.
What happens next: The hearing remains open and the commission asked the applicant to return with requested technical clarifications, including additional wetland scientist input and answers on stormwater safeguards and emergency spill containment. The planning and zoning board will separately evaluate traffic and access proposals under its authority.
Sources: Presentation by Taylor Capel (Soleie Engineering), testimony from Jackson Smith and Bill Kenny (William Kenny Associates), and public commenters recorded at the April 15 hearing.
