Winchester wetlands commission approves phased restart of permitted Winstead Road quarry with engineering conditions

The Town of Winchester Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission voted May 21 to approve a phased restart of quarrying operations at the Winstead Road site, subject to the engineering conditions in a consultant report dated May 21, 2026.

Vice Chair Russ Stavenport said the approval was conditioned on compliance with the town engineering consultant’s recommendations, then called for a voice vote, which members recorded as unanimous. Applicant representatives told the commission they had removed Phase 5 — the only mapped wetland on the parcel — from the active permit and had reconfigured stormwater basins and grading so runoff would be captured and treated on site before leaving the property.

In a brief presentation, the applicant’s representative described the project as a multi‑phase restart of a quarry that last obtained local permits in 2002. They said the plan eliminates the previously proposed Phase 5 entirely, confines activity to previously disturbed upland areas, and enlarges upstream basins so stormwater is detained and treated before outlet to the adjacent drainage system. The applicant also described a maintenance program for sediment forebays, including machine access to allow regular cleanouts and off‑site disposal to a recycling yard down the road.

Commissioners and staff raised several technical items that became written conditions: final plans must include a live signature and seal from the Connecticut professional engineer/surveyor of record; the owner must provide a 24‑hour emergency contact; an erosion and sedimentation control bond estimate must be prepared, reviewed by the engineering consultant and posted before construction; a recommended pre‑construction meeting with town staff must occur; daily inspections and repairs of erosion controls must be performed until permanent vegetation is established; and as‑built grading plans and a final inspection will be required before the ENS bond release or issuance of any occupancy certificate.

The commission noted coordination with Planning & Zoning, which manages the special‑permit phasing limit (3 acres), and that P&Z requires renewals every two years; the commission’s permit is on a different schedule and will be subject to its renewal cycle. The approval was framed as a conditional permit that ties formal authorization to the engineering consultant’s eight conditions and to the bond and post‑construction documentation the town requires.

The commission’s action next requires the applicant to submit the sealed final plans and the ENS bond estimate before work may proceed. The commission also indicated it expects periodic renewals and inspections as phases proceed.

The permit decision was made by motion and voice vote at the May 21 meeting; the commission did not read a roll‑call tally in the transcript, and members characterized the vote as unanimous on the record.