Bloomfield wetlands commission approves permit for 1151 Blue Hills affordable housing after bond debate, adds inspection change

The Bloomfield Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Commission on July 20 approved a wetlands permit and two‑lot subdivision for 1151 Blue Hills Avenue, clearing the way for an affordable housing project proposed for the southeast portion of the 40‑acre 1st Cathedral property.

Staff recommended approval with 27 conditions after a full technical review, and the commission voted to accept that recommendation and to waive a duplicate application fee of $2,760. The permit authorizes regulated activities in the Upland Review Area and vegetated buffer zones associated with an estimated 4.56 acres of disturbance; staff said direct wetland impacts are not proposed, and mitigation plantings will be required.

The applicant is Community Development Properties of Bloomfield Inc.; Francis Baca, a professional engineer at BSC Group, presented the project and described erosion and sedimentation controls that will be used during construction, including perimeter straw‑wattle controls, temporary diversion grading and center‑site sediment traps. "All of the flows on the site will be directed to the sediment traps, which are very specifically designed to store stormwater during construction," Baca said.

Attorney David Markowitz, representing the property owner and applicant team, asked the commission to reduce or waive a $25,000 bond that staff had recommended under the town's bonding formula because the property owner is the church and the project is a nonprofit‑sponsored affordable housing development. "A $25,000 bond is substantive," he said, asking the commission to consider alternatives, including reducing the per‑acre rate or accepting a letter of credit.

Peter Castaldi, the town wetlands agent, told the commission the $25,000 figure came from the commission's standard (which had been updated from $1,000 to $5,000 per acre) and that he had no technical objection to site controls but was asking for typical guarantees: preconstruction meetings, field staking, weekly (later amended) inspections, and contingency replanting plans. Castaldi also summarized the supporting technical reports including a stormwater analysis showing no increase in peak flows and a vernal pool assessment that found no vernal pools on site.

Commissioners debated bonding levels and phasing. A motion to reduce the bond (an amendment to the main motion) failed on a recorded vote, 2–4. The commission, however, approved a separate amendment that changed condition 20: routine inspection reports will be submitted every other week (biweekly) rather than weekly, and BSC Group was authorized to perform routine inspections under the state general permit for sites under 15 acres. That amendment passed unanimously.

The commission also approved the subdivision map dated April 2026, titled "Bloomfield 1st Cathedral master plan and housing," and voted to approve the wetlands permit for phase 1 (with plans and additional approvals to be submitted for later phases). Castaldi emphasized several conditions must be satisfied prior to disturbance, including final signed plans, erosion controls, and posting of the required bond.

Resident Rosemary Williams of Whittenberry Place Condominiums raised concerns during public comment about construction‑period runoff and long‑term drainage toward neighboring properties. Baca and Castaldi responded that construction grading will route disturbed flows to the center of the site and that the proposed bioretention and hydrodynamic separators are designed to meet Connecticut design standards for the 100‑year storm. "We're going to be cutting potentially 50% or more of that area" that currently discharges toward nearby properties, Baca said, adding the submitted documentation shows the projected reductions.

Next steps: the applicant plans to take the approval to the Planning and Zoning Commission (Markowitz said the applicant has an August 17 meeting on that calendar) and will return to wetlands staff with final plan sets, as‑built requirements and any phase‑2 materials before construction of later buildings.

Actions recorded by the commission: approval of the two‑lot subdivision; approval of the wetlands permit with the 27 staff conditions (including required mitigation plantings and as‑built submissions); a waiver of the duplicate application fee of $2,760; retention of the standard bonding requirement (the proposed bond‑reduction amendment failed); and modification of condition 20 to require biweekly inspection reports with BSC Group permitted to file routine inspections.

The commission closed the public hearing on the application and voted to adjourn the meeting later the same evening.