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P&Z approves major retaining‑wall repairs at Torrington Fair Plaza; staff reports multiple ongoing blight and zoning enforcement cases
Summary
The commission approved a site plan to fortify failing retaining walls at Torrington Fair Plaza and heard an extended enforcement report listing litigation and citations at several properties, including floodplain and wetlands concerns at 2904 Winstead Road and ongoing blight cases.
The Torrington Planning and Zoning Commission on July 15 approved Site Plan 1616 to repair and fortify modular block retaining walls at the Torrington Fair Plaza entrance on Torringtonford Street. Kenneth (Ken) Ricca, a licensed engineer representing the property owner, described a repair approach that leaves the existing geogrid and original wall in place and installs a new freestanding wall six feet forward, backfilled with stone to stabilize the slope. The plan calls for approximately 346 linear feet of wall on the north side and 257 linear feet on the south, with maximum new wall heights of about 11–13 feet at the highest locations. Wetlands and conservation commission reviews were obtained and staff recommended site‑plan approval with erosion control, bonding and restoration conditions.
During correspondence, city planning and enforcement staff provided a broad enforcement update covering multiple ongoing matters. Assistant planner Nate Nardi Cyrus and enforcement staff reported active litigation and accumulating citations at sites including 516 Mountain Road (grading and wetlands litigation), long‑running unpermitted stockpiling and wetlands violations at 2904 Winstead Road, hillside grading and instability at 367 Winston Road, and storage/ circulation issues and recent accidents at a plaza on East Main Street (1061 East Main). Several cases have produced cease‑and‑desist orders, citations and, in some instances, appeals to the Zoning Board of Appeals or court. Staff said many cases have generated tens of thousands of dollars in citations and that enforcement actions remain active.
The commission approved the Torrington Fair Plaza site plan with standard conditions requiring marked wetlands/conservation boundaries during construction, building and zoning permits, bonding for final restoration, anti‑tracking measures at the site entrance and recordation details.
