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Zoning commission sets July 13 public hearing for multi‑beach sewer staging proposal after applicant presses for schedule
Summary
Representatives for a multi‑beach sewer project told the commission that DEP approval and contractor schedules create urgency; the commission received an incomplete application for laydown and staging areas but set a July 13 public hearing, requiring detailed erosion‑control and remediation plans before the hearing proceeds.
The Old Lyme Zoning Commission voted to receive and set a public hearing on July 13 for a proposed amendment to a prior special permit that would permit contractor laydown and staging yards tied to a multi‑beach sewer project.
Doug Whalen, speaking for the beach associations, said the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection had issued a notice to proceed and contractors have scheduling constraints that make delays costly. He said the state’s decision to postpone paving on Route 156 so the sewer can be installed now yields an estimated savings “for the project of over $1,000,000,” and that the contractors were under time pressures tied to those external schedules.
Why it matters: Commissioners and staff stressed the application is incomplete as submitted. Staff identified missing or inadequate materials including a detailed erosion‑control and sedimentation plan for the proposed laydown areas north of Route 156, a remediation plan for restoring sites after project completion, clear mapping and survey‑level plans for the specific laydown parcels, and an explicit list of every prior special‑permit condition the applicants want to modify. Planning staff also reminded applicants that inland‑wetlands jurisdiction and any required modifications must be resolved with the Wetlands Agency before certain zoning actions can proceed.
What the commission required: Staff said the earliest realistic public‑notice timing for a properly referred hearing would be July 13 if applicants supply the missing materials promptly; staff asked for final materials well before June 24 to meet legal‑notice deadlines. The commission emphasized that referral agencies (including DEEP and wetlands and other technical reviewers) may ask to keep the hearing record open for additional comments, so setting the hearing does not guarantee immediate final action.
Public‑notice path and next steps: The commission agreed to set the hearing on July 13 but warned applicants they must deliver a complete materials package (engineering erosion‑control details for the two staging areas, remediation plans, and a complete list of requested modifications to previous permit conditions) so referral agents have a meaningful 35‑day review window. Staff said it would circulate received materials to referral agencies and that the commission could continue or reopen the hearing if those agencies request more time to comment.
What remains unresolved: The specific laydown locations, protective fencing and traffic management plans, and whether fueling/overnight equipment storage needs to be explicitly modified from prior permit conditions remain to be finalized in the record. The commission suggested applicants consider interim options—such as an already‑approved industrial laydown site—if they cannot meet the July schedule.
