Renew Riverside LLC’s proposed Riverside Avenue data center declared a 'significant activity'; site walk set for March 25

The Wetlands Commission received application 2066 from Renew Riverside LLC for a proposed two‑story, 7,279‑square‑foot data center at 234 Riverside Avenue and declared the application a "significant activity," scheduling an on‑site review for March 25 at 5:30 p.m. and a public hearing at the commission's next regular meeting.

Attorney Matt Ranelli, representing Renew Riverside and the applicant team, opened the presentation and asked the commission to receive the application: "Thank you for receiving our application this evening," he said, and introduced the project's wetland scientist and civil engineer.

Wetland scientist Matt Gustafson testified that his January 2025 delineation identified a single watercourse along the southern property line and that the feature supports groundwater recharge, fish habitat and shoreline stabilization at a secondary level because prior development and a narrow vegetated buffer have diminished certain functions. Gustafson said the project avoids direct impacts to the wetland but would incur unavoidable impacts to the 100‑foot upland review area totaling about 0.58 acres, of which roughly 0.41 acres are within the previous impervious footprint. He outlined a mitigation and enhancement plan that includes approximately 4,800 sq ft of enhancements, about 120 native shrub and herbaceous plantings, and two years of post‑construction monitoring with success metrics for plant survival and invasive species control.

Civil engineer Albad Abdallah described site layout and stormwater controls. He said proposed impervious area would be roughly 27,000 sq ft — about a 6,587 sq ft reduction from existing paved area — and that modeled runoff volume and peak rates fall under the proposed design. "All the water from the driveway is treated within the isolated row initially," Abdallah said, adding that the system is "technically oversized" to accommodate the water quality volume for the site.

Commissioners questioned the applicant on bank stabilization, invasive species removal, parking, snow‑storage plans and operations. The applicant said the data center would be small — an 'edge' data center — with roughly 3–4 employees, a proposed seven parking spaces (code requires six) and the potential for occasional client visits but no dedicated client spaces. Commissioners raised concerns about snow storage and salt running into the river; Ranelli said the applicant would work with town staff on a snow‑storage contingency and noted the team can identify potential storage areas.

Ranelli also told the commission the Connecticut Siting Council previously reviewed and approved the on‑site generation component (the fuel cell) because of the siting council's jurisdiction for generation above a certain size; the siting council found minimal visual impact and noted the site is not in a DEP aquifer protection area.

After discussion, Commissioner Mike Robinson moved to declare application 2066 a significant activity to enable a site walk and to preserve procedural options for public petition. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the commission set a public on‑site inspection for March 25 at 5:30 p.m. and will hold a public hearing at the next scheduled meeting.

Next steps: the commission will conduct the on‑site review March 25 at 5:30 p.m., then hold a public hearing at its next regular meeting before making a final decision on any permits or conditions.