Danbury planning commission keeps public hearing open on Bolimo warehouse expansion after notice and watershed concerns

The Danbury Planning Commission kept open a public hearing Feb. 19 on Bolimo Air Controls USA Inc.’s application to expand its warehouse at 33 Turner Road, citing outstanding notice and interjurisdictional permitting questions raised by neighbors and counsel.

Chair Arnold DiFenaldi Jr. opened the hearing and read the legal notice for the revised special exception and site-plan application. Brian Phillips, senior project manager with Langan Engineering, told commissioners the project is a roughly 76-foot building addition—about 32,000 square feet—that will house a fully automated high-bay storage and retrieval system, add four loading-bay doors and require relocation of an on-site water main loop. Phillips said the addition meets bulk requirements for the IL-40 zone and described proposed stormwater-quality infrastructure including catch basins with sumps, a hydrodynamic separator and an underground detention system.

Why it matters: the site sits adjacent to the Connecticut–New York state line and the project includes a retaining wall, grading and changes in impervious surface that an affected New York landowner’s attorney said may trigger New York City watershed review. Attorney Peter Olsen, representing Sawmill Road Property LLC, told the commission his written submission identified what he called omitted abutters (including New York parcels) and asserted certified-mail notice to adjoining municipalities/property owners may be required; he also argued that the New York City Department of Environmental Protection permit requirements could apply to added impervious coverage near the state line.

Phillips said the retaining wall and grading are being designed to avoid encroachment onto neighboring property, that the gap between the building and the new retaining wall would be about 12 feet (sufficient for maintenance equipment) and that preliminary borings show bedrock relatively deep; he acknowledged additional borings are planned and said limited blasting is possible but would follow city fire-marshal rules and any required neighbor notifications. On the watershed point, Phillips said the project survey shows the watershed boundary aligns with the state line and that all runoff on the Bolimo property drains eastward into Connecticut; he also reported contacting Matthew Gianetta at the New York DEC/DEP, who told the team the DEP has no regulatory authority across the state line.

Staff deputy planning director Jennifer said her office is reviewing Olsen’s letter, that the abutter list is being updated and that the official notices/envelopes would be prepared and sent the next day in accordance with Connecticut General Statutes and Danbury zoning regulations. Chair DiFenaldi emphasized the commission would not close the hearing that night to ensure those procedural and interjurisdictional questions are resolved.

The commission voted to continue the public hearing to March 5, 2025. Next steps: staff will circulate the updated abutter notifications and the applicant will supply requested technical clarifications (stormwater/drainage details, retaining-wall cross sections and any additional geotechnical information); the commission will revisit the application on 03/05/2025 with the new materials on the record.

Representative quotes: “The project proposed here…is essentially a building addition to expand their current production capacity through the use of a high-bay automated storage retrieval system,” said Brian Phillips, the applicant’s engineer. “We will not be closing this public hearing this evening,” Chair DiFenaldi said when the notice issue was raised. “[My letter] identified three issues:…the notice omitted several property owners,” Attorney Peter Olsen said, noting potential New York DEP permit requirements.

Ending: The hearing on Bolimo’s revised special-exception/site-plan application remains open; the commission scheduled continued consideration for its March 5 meeting.