Danbury planning commission continues hearing on Mill Plain gas station after environmental and traffic questions

The Danbury Planning Commission on April 1 continued the public hearing on Mill Plain Realty LLC’s application for a special exception and site plan approval for a gas station and convenience store at 85 Mill Plain Road after hearing technical presentations on tank testing, remediation and traffic.

Attorney Josh Pedrera, representing the applicant, said revised site plans and an updated stormwater management report were submitted in March and that the proposal would retain two fueling dispensers and a convenience store while eliminating onsite auto repair uses. "We have responded to most of the feedback," Pedrera said, asking the commission to focus on outstanding technical questions.

Why it matters: The site is in a public water-supply watershed and neighbors and a city council member pressed the applicant to demonstrate the project will not threaten drinking-water sources. The commission also sought confirmations on vehicle queuing, driveway operations and pedestrian safety behind the building.

Project and environmental safeguards

Larry Webster, an engineer with Benish, told commissioners that Connecticut’s updated rules allow some double-wall fiberglass underground storage tanks to qualify for extended service life when they meet retrofit and monitoring conditions. He said the existing tanks on the site have about nine years remaining under their original 30-year rating but could be upgraded to extend life "which will kick them pretty far down the road." Webster said a continuous monitoring system would be in place and that additional outer-shell monitoring could be added when required.

Deborah Downey, a licensed environmental professional with Haley & Aldrich, described the site cleanup conducted under the Connecticut Transfer Act. She said substantial excavation and soil removal have already taken place, replacement monitoring wells will be installed near deeper areas, and the team plans at least one year of quarterly groundwater monitoring after remediation is complete to verify no tank-related impacts down-gradient. "We will be doing a minimum of 1 year of quarterly monitoring of those wells once we get to the point where we're done with the remediation," Downey said.

Traffic and circulation

Benish traffic engineer Mahmood Hassan summarized a three-year crash review and the traffic-impact modeling. He said the intersection operations and driveway access studied for the proposal meet acceptable level-of-service ranges and that many predicted vehicle trips are "pass-by" trips that would have occurred anyway. Hassan reported modeled generation of roughly 49 morning and 52 afternoon peak trips for the proposed convenience store.

Commissioners asked specifics about ingress and egress, whether left turns would be permitted, and how many vehicles could queue at the pumps. Webster estimated room for about four queued vehicles at fueling positions and said there is space on the street side of the fueling operation for vehicles to pass if someone stops to refuel. The applicant agreed to confirm pump-queue capacity and to show painted guidance for pedestrian movement behind the building at the next hearing.

Neighbour concerns and applicant response

City Council member Paul Rotella, who said he represents an area across Mill Plain Road, urged special caution because the site lies within the city’s drinking-water watershed. "This is a very important watershed for the city of Danbury," Rotella said, and asked for assurances on underground tanks and vehicle circulation. Rotella also asked that hose lengths at pumps be long enough to avoid vehicles getting stuck if drivers pull up with the filler on the opposite side.

Larry Webster and applicant Sami Jamel replied that they would include longer hoses on the two fueling positions and that circulation allows cars to pass on the street side. "We'll be glad to include the long hoses," Jamel said.

Staff review and next steps

Planning staff (Ali) said the commission received revised plans and response letters about a week earlier and that construction and engineering departments still have outstanding comments, including on sidewalk and crosswalk details. Staff asked that the public hearing remain open while those comments are reviewed. The applicant agreed to a 14-day extension.

Votes at a glance

- The commission approved the minutes of the March 18 meeting (motion by Commissioner Bob Keocchio; second by Commissioner Helen Hostetter). The minutes were accepted. - The commission voted to continue the public hearing on the Mill Plain application to the regular meeting on April 15, 2026 (motion by Commissioner Helen Hostetter; second by Commissioner Bob Keocchio). The motion passed with the recorded 'ayes.'

The hearing remains open. Staff will review outstanding engineering and construction comments and the applicant will provide updated queuing figures and pedestrian-crossing/pavement-marking details at the April 15 meeting.