The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) this week granted a local industrial firm two zoning variances which the company sought toward its goal of expanding its corrugated cardboard container factory located on the corner of Schoolhouse Hill Road and Edmond Road.

ZBA members on August 5 unanimously approved Rand-Whitney Container Newtown LLC’s request for the zoning variances concerning the maximum percentage of lot coverage by structures, and also the minimum front-yard setback distance. The 18.74-acre property is located in a M-1 industrial zone at 32 Schoolhouse Hill Road.

The firm wants expand its factory from 127,500 square feet in floor area to 310,500 square feet.

For the proposed expansion project, the company also must obtain a wetlands/watercourses protection permit from the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) and a modified special permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z).

Several residents of the nearby Budd Drive area attended the ZBA session, largely to register their concerns about noise emanating from the existing factory and the noise caused by the trucks that travel to and from the factory.

Although Rand-Whitney could have avoided seeking the zoning variances from the ZBA, it would have then been limited to seeking IWC and P&Z approvals for an expanded factory of roughly 284,000 square feet in area, based on the town’s developmental lot-coverage limits.

Nicholas Smith, Rand-Whitney’s president, told ZBA members, “This [expanded] facility would allow us to be competitive for the next 30 years.” The firm would place new manufacturing equipment in an expanded facility.

Geoffrey Schiffenhaus, the factory’s general manager, said the plant now employs 61 people in its manufacturing and office sections. An expansion would result in between 100 and 110 people working there, he said.

The factory provides corrugated containers for markets in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.

Mr Smith said that a 310,500-square-foot building would provide the “optimum layout” for an expanded factory.

The planned new intersection of Church Hill Road, Edmond Road, and Commerce Road would be used by factory-related truck traffic, he said. Also, the firm is seeking to have a natural gas line installed along Edmond Road to provide an energy source for manufacturing, he said.

Public Comment

Rick Camejo of 1 Patricia Lane spoke in favor of the proposed industrial expansion project. “I think it’s good move,” he said.

Wes Thompson, a member of the town’s Economic Development Commission, said, “Economically, [Rand-Whitney] is an important part of our town,” in endorsing the expansion proposal.

Betsy Paynter, town economic development coordinator, spoke in favor of the industrial proposal, saying it is good for the local economy.

Diarmuid Lovett of 12 Budd Drive said he lives near the factory, adding, “There’s going to be more noise.” He stressed his concern about a bigger factory generating more noise in the area.

Peggy Baiad of 4 Budd Drive said she lives near the factory and it creates noise.

“You have to be sensitive… There are houses back there,” she told ZBA members.

“I’m just really concerned about the noise, the trucks,” she said.

Michael Alves of Budd Drive asked whether an expanded factory would result in any noise reduction.

George Benson, town director of planning, said that noise issues would be addressed when the Rand-Whitney application is reviewed by the P&Z.

Genevieve Echavarria of 28 Schoolhouse Hill Road asked when construction on an expanded factory would start, how long it would last, and what types of construction equipment would be used.

Mr Smith responded that the construction project would take about 18 months to complete. The firm hopes to start construction within 60 to 90 days, he said.

Decision

Following the public hearing on the application, ZBA members spoke in favor of the factory expansion proposal, but asked what specific wording they should include in their motion to grant the zoning variances.

Typically, variances are granted to resolve a “hardship” that stems from a given site’s topography.

Several ZBA members asked whether the applicant actually had demonstrated any such hardship, adding that the applicant had not addressed that matter.

ZBA members then settled on the wording of the approval. They decided that, “hardship was demonstrated due to the fact they [Rand-Whitney] need to accommodate new equipment required to remain competitive in the corrugated container production market.”

The Edmond Road corridor has experienced some significant industrial expansion during the past decade, including the expansion and conversion of a former Pitney-Bowes facility by Advanced Fusion Systems at 11 Edmond Road, and the construction of industrial space by 5-K Enterprises Inc at 3 Edmond Road.

Besides Newtown, Rand-Whitney has eight other industrial locations, including Waterbury, as well as facilities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Ireland.