Hamden wetlands commission approves Benham and Treadwell sidewalks with drainage and maintenance conditions

The Town of Hamden Wetlands Commission voted to approve sidewalks on Benham Street and Treadwell Street, adding conditions intended to mitigate effects on nearby wetlands.

Designers for the town presented the plan, which would add five-foot sidewalks and ramps in several locations near three wetland pockets. Paul Brand of GM2 Associates identified the project as the town’s designer of record; an agency official told the commission the proposal includes no direct wetland impacts and that the plans show 0 square feet of wetland impact. The designers said the new sidewalk would sit within the 100-foot upland review area and would remain separated from wetland edges by existing chain‑link fencing and grading.

The commission’s concerns centered on water quality and winter maintenance. Commissioners and staff discussed modifications to the existing catch basin that drains toward the wetland, proposed to be enlarged and fitted with a 4-foot deep sump and a hooded outlet. The applicant also described inlet inserts (stainless-steel “Bio Clean” or similar products) and other options to reduce floatables and fine particles.

A participant during public comment raised the risk that snowplowing and deicing on a new north-side sidewalk could concentrate salt and sand closer to the wetland. An agency official responded that the roadway grades direct runoff toward the road and noted that town plowing and salt now reach the same catch basin; the official offered to add site-specific mitigation measures and to provide language for conditions.

The commission read four suggested conditions into the record and then amended the motion. Final conditions attached to the approval included: (1) no encroachment of project activity or equipment onto adjoining property on the north side of Benham Street; (2) sidewalk work on Treadwell waits on written consent from the Regional Water Authority (RWA); (3) recommendations of the RWA environmental analyst (referenced to an Evan Moore letter dated April 2026) be incorporated as binding conditions; (4) sidewalks must be designed to drain toward the roadway; and (5) the Benham catch basin must be modified to include a 4-foot sump and hooded outlet, with a maintenance plan for that basin submitted and approved by the wetlands enforcement officer or commission chair. Commissioners also requested investigation of upstream dry wells to reduce any net increase in discharge to the wetland and discussed signage to identify sensitive areas.

Commission discussion noted the practical limits of a large buffer: one commissioner observed that a 75-foot no‑build buffer on the north side could preclude necessary connections on the south side, and the applicant said the mapped 100-foot areas constrain sidewalk placement. The project team estimated the new sidewalk would add approximately 3,000 square feet of impervious surface (about 0.07 acres), producing a small, low increase in peak flow that the catch-basin modifications aim to address.

The motion to approve as amended was moved by a commissioner who identified their motion on the record and seconded; the chair put the question and the motion carried. The transcript does not include a roll-call vote tally by name.

Timing and next steps: the applicant noted the project is federally funded and must be obligated before the federal fiscal-year deadline (October 1) to preserve funding; construction timing was described as likely in the fall or within about a year depending on contractor sequencing. The commission also asked staff to draft signage language for wetland protection that could be reused on future projects and directed that proposed maintenance and design adjustments be submitted for the wetlands enforcement officer’s or chair’s approval.

No site inspections were recorded during the meeting; a staff member noted a separate property (1605 Sherman Avenue) is expected to return with a new application in the coming months.