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Residents urge caution on Rising/Hazen mill redevelopment; board considers mill-overlay options
Summary
The planning board discussed applying a mill or smart-growth overlay to the Rising (Hazen) paper-mill property; a public commenter urged prioritizing contamination cleanup and Housatonic River health before redevelopment.
Board members reviewed whether the Rising/Hazen paper mill site should be covered by the mill overlay or the smart-growth overlay to encourage redevelopment while protecting historic resources.
Chair (speaker 4) noted Hazen recently closed operations and said the board could consider adding overlay protections and bylaw updates. Staff (speaker 2) and members discussed that the site sits in an industrial zone and may qualify for smart-growth allowances that permit mixed use if a percentage of units are affordable.
During citizen comment, Michelle Lebert (speaker 11) cited a prior newspaper article and soil testing that reported "elevated levels of solvent chemicals found in the soil at rising paper mill" and urged the board to ensure environmental cleanup and Housatonic River health were addressed before approving redevelopment plans.
The board agreed to check zoning coverage and to consider overlay application and bylaw updates as part of ongoing redevelopment planning; no formal overlay decision was made at this meeting.
