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Torrington commission continues hearing on 2904 Winston Road after applicant withdraws proposed 5,000 sq ft building
Summary
At a June 2 Torrington Inland Wetlands meeting, applicant Martin Connor withdrew a proposed 5,000-square-foot building from a wetlands application for 2904 Winston Road and asked the commission to continue the public hearing to allow further soil-science work; the hearing was continued to July 7.
The Torrington Inland Wetlands Commission on June 2 opened a public hearing on an application for 2904 Winston Road and agreed to continue the hearing to its July 7 meeting after the applicant withdrew a proposed 5,000-square-foot new building from the filing.
Martin Connor, who identified himself as a certified planner and the applicant’s representative, told the commission that the application seeks earth-materials processing, a 31-by-20-foot addition to an existing garage, demolition of a barn and a 5,000-square-foot new building with a 2,500-square-foot wetlands restoration area to mitigate a drainage pipe extension. He said the application had been noticed and that he provided certificates of mailing and a list of recipients, but that the commission’s notices could not reach an owner or contact for an adjacent cemetery.
Connor said the project team received a last-minute letter from Cynthia Rabinowitz of the Northwest Conservation District identifying three specific areas that need further field checks. "Her letter…suggests three areas that we take another look at," he said, and added that the project soil scientist needed time to review the conservation-district comments. Surveyor Timothy Wy reported invert elevations for the existing catch basin and outlet—about 716.6 at the basin and about 714.1 at the discharge point—and said he can provide additional mapping to reconcile datum differences with an earlier permit map.
Given the new information, Connor told the commission the team wanted to withdraw the proposed 5,000-square-foot building from the application for the time being and continue the hearing so soil scientists can re-examine the flagged areas. The commission voted to continue the public hearing to the July 7 Inland Wetlands meeting.
Why it matters: The commission and outside reviewers flagged uncertainty in older wetland flagging and asked the applicant to provide fresh field work in the areas identified by the Northwest Conservation District. Connor noted his professional experience and said he will advise clients in the future that wetland flagging older than about 10 years typically needs re-checking.
Next steps: The applicant and his soil scientist are expected to respond to the conservation-district letter and submit updated field information before the continued hearing on July 7.
