Danbury commission removes "unique" from wetlands regulation definition, adopts revised rules

The Danbury City Environmental Impact Commission voted unanimously on June 10 to adopt amendments to the citys Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Regulations, including removing the word "unique" from the definition of "significant activity." The commission opened and closed a public hearing on the proposed revisions the same evening and proceeded to a roll-call vote.

Commissioner Gary Duffel urged the change during the hearing, saying the term created an unnecessary legal hurdle: "I suggest we simply eliminate the word 'unique,' and leave the rest of it as is in defining a significant activity, because I think it's a dangerous term," he said. Other commissioners agreed that "unique" would be difficult to define consistently across sites.

Commissioner Jeff Harrold moved to accept the revised regulations as read with the change to strike the word "unique" from the definition (item XI, definition 11); the motion was seconded and the commission conducted a roll-call vote. The roll call recorded ayes from Gary Duffel, John Schwartz, Elizabeth Falk, Jeff Harrold, Mark Masood, Matt Rose and Christina Britton; the motion carried.

The discussion also acknowledged work on a revised fee schedule that accompanied the regulation updates. Commissioners commended staff and Elizabeth Falk for leading the multimeeting review process and noted that minor typographical corrections could be made to the published copy before final filing.

The commission closed the public hearing, adopted the amendments, and directed staff to incorporate the approved textual changes and correct typographical errors. The amended regulations will be processed as the commission's normal administrative record and any additional ministerial corrections will be handled by staff.