Commission tables proposed commercial farm at 486 Wintergreen after presentation and detailed questions

Attorney Joe Porto, representing applicant Marco Russo, presented a major amendment to site plan 23‑1523 on May 12, 2026 before the Town of Hamden Planning and Zoning Commission. Porto said the 5.08‑acre property at 486 Wintergreen Avenue is zoned R‑2 and that the amendment responds to staff concerns raised after a June 2025 cease‑and‑desist letter. Porto asked the commission to allow a 30‑day extension so remaining items could be addressed with staff.

Porto outlined the farm operation: egg production from hens, ducks and guinea hens and vegetable production (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and pumpkins). He described site features that include two storage containers (feed and tractor), a chicken coop with an attached fenced grazing pen, a pump house and a tiny house for on‑site residents, a 50×100 hoop house and a proposed 30×70 greenhouse. “We have a maximum upper limit of no more than 225 birds,” Porto said, breaking that down as about 165 hens, 35 ducks and 25 guinea hens and noting the flock would trend closer to 200 on average and be reduced by roughly one quarter in winter months.

Porto said best management practices are being developed with district conservation staff and the Quinnipiac Valley Health District, and described manure handling plans: multiple compost bins (about six) built on impervious concrete pads to prevent leaching, hand removal of manure from coops (no machinery), drying/turnover of bins in winter and spring tilling of compost into the outdoor growing area when the ground is workable. He said setback and separation distances on the master plan meet the town regulation of 100 feet from common property lines for birds and that the Health District recommends a 75‑foot separation from wells for manure handling.

Commissioners’ questions focused on potential nuisance impacts and operational details. Commissioner Barbara Andrews raised concerns about noise from guinea fowl; Porto said the pens are centrally located to minimize impacts and that some contiguous neighbors have submitted support signatures. On organic practice, Christopher Covey, the applicant’s son‑in‑law who spoke for the project, said they do not plan to apply artificial fertilizers or pesticides. Porto said vegetables will be hand‑sown and hand‑harvested and that there will be no on‑site retail sales or commercial truck traffic.

Commissioner Richard Pierce and others queried manure bin design and capacity, odor and vermin control, and provided calculations on expected manure volumes. Porto said bins would be constructed from pallets with caps, elevated on impervious surfaces, and estimated roughly 99 pounds of manure per bird per year; at 225 birds that equates to roughly 10 tons annually, which after accounting for tilling months would reduce to about 6–7 tons to be applied to the growing area. Porto said they would refine those calculations with the district conservationist.

Commissioners also questioned whether R‑2 zone rules limiting backyard birds apply; staff explained the town’s commercial‑farm rules are distinct and allow farms by site plan in R‑2. Peppering the record were clarifications that no rabbits will be kept and that there will be no on‑site butchery; Porto said birds sold off the property would be cycled out at auctions in winter.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to table the item to the commission’s June 9, 2026 meeting so staff and the applicant could resolve open items; the commission voted unanimously to table. Staff and the applicant plan to exchange materials and continue coordinating before the June hearing.

The commission also approved the April 28, 2026 minutes later in the meeting.