Applicant seeks expanded outdoor storage at 2 Great Pasture Road; public hearing continued

An applicant for 2 Great Pasture Road on Wednesday described plans to formalize outdoor storage and improve site circulation at an existing industrial property, but the Danbury Planning Commission continued the public hearing to April 16 to allow the applicant to respond to outstanding staff, fire marshal and state environmental requirements.

Benjamin Dodo, representing the property owner 2 GPR Owner LP, told the commission the 15.6‑acre site contains a 115,000‑square‑foot industrial building and is not being expanded; the proposal would add paved outdoor storage areas behind the building, connect two separate driveway aprons to allow circulation around the site, replace driveway aprons and add a sidewalk to city standards, and install a small retaining wall to permit a 30‑foot drive aisle loop.

The applicant said the property has an Environmental Land Use Restriction (ELUR) from past remediation; the ELUR prohibits residential uses and limits subsurface disturbance. Dodo said the parcel was remediated in the late 1990s–early 2000s for PCBs and petroleum contamination and that an LEP (licensed environmental professional) will work with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on a soil‑management plan and an ELUR release and reestablishment before construction.

Dodo gave several specific technical figures: three proposed storage areas include a small ~4,600‑sq.‑ft. zone, a ~9,600‑sq.‑ft. area and a larger paved area of about 43,000 sq. ft. He said the project would result in a net cut in the floodplain of roughly 330 cubic yards (about 490 cu yd cut and 160 cu yd fill) and that an approximately 11,000‑sq.‑ft. mitigation area will serve both floodplain and wetland mitigation needs.

Registered landscape architect Abigail Adams reviewed planting and mitigation plans, saying the proposal emphasizes native canopy and understory species, invasive‑species removal in disturbed areas and a 20‑foot zoning‑required buffer along Great Pasture Road.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on several open items from staff: the fire marshal’s request for internal access aisles, a traffic/turning plan for trucks, whether the city would require a 15‑foot right‑of‑way dedication versus an easement on the frontage, how private water and sewer lines will be shown on plans, and clarification about dumpster locations and lighting. Dodo said he would add internal access aisles and striping, provide truck‑turning diagrams, address landscaping near hydrants, and coordinate with staff on the easement vs. right‑of‑way question.

Because multiple technical and regulatory issues remain — including DEP approval related to the ELUR, final wetlands/floodplain mitigation details, and fire‑marshal access — the commission voted to continue the public hearing to the commission’s next regular meeting on April 16, 2025.

The applicant indicated it will file revised plans and a full written response to staff comments before the continued hearing.