Newtown Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) reviewed and approved an application proposing a 6,000 square foot commercial building on Pecks Lane during its meetings on September 14 and 28, both of which took place at Newtown Municipal Center. The intended use will be to headquarter a local landscaping and saw milling company.

On September 14, IWC members present were chair Sharon Salling, vice chair Craig Ferris, Mike McCabe, Suzanne Guidera, Scott Jackson, and Kendall Horch, as well as the town’s Senior Land Use Enforcement Officer Steve Maguire and Land Use Enforcement Officer Kiana Maisonet.

IW Application #22-21 by 24 Pecks Lane LLC is for a property located at 24 Pecks Lane, to construct a 6,000-square-foot commercial building and associated site improvements.

Jason Edwards, of J. Edwards Associates, represented the application. The property owner and developer Larry Whippie was also present.

Edwards noted that the site has “been vacant for a long time” and there was a wetlands permit issued back in 2003 for a different plan.

“To give some dimensions on the property, it’s two-and-a-half total acreage for the site and about one acre of it is wetlands. We’re proposing to disturb approximately 37,000 [square] feet of the upland review area,” he said.

Edwards mentioned there will be no direct impact on the wetlands.

“It’s going to be two uses. Larry owns a landscaping company now, so he’s going to relocate that here. He also does saw milling,” Edwards said.

The building will have the landscaping company on the left side with a paved driveway and parking.

“There will also be garage doors for trucks to pass through here, so he can store his landscaping equipment indoors,” Edwards said.

The sawmill side will have its own gravel driveway because an asphalt driveway would be difficult for moving logs and equipment around.

Edwards said the erosion control plans consist of “a barrier around the outside, a stockpile area, anti-tracking aprons, [and] temporary sediment trap … The stormwater is going to be collected from all impervious surfaces as well as the gravel area.”

The water will go into catch basins on Pecks Lane.

Edwards also told the commission that the property is served by public water, and they are proposing a septic system in front of the building.

“We do have a landscape plan, as well,” he said. “We are proposing a series of trees along the back of this parking lot to provide some screening, as well as trees along the front of the building.”

Commission Feedback

During that initial meeting, commissioner Ferris asked if they will be blasting the rocks to remove them from the property.

Whippie responded that they would be blasting the rocks but that “a lot of it will stay on site,” including for the gravel driveway.

Edwards added that any larger boulders/rocks can be placed along the edge of the parking lot as a barrier.

Chair Salling inquired if everything would be done in the one building they are proposing.

Whippie said yes, but that they will also have an electric powered dehumidifier kiln on site that is roughly 10 by 12 feet.

Commissioner Horch asked, “Do you have to have permission from the town to connect to the town’s catch basin for overflow?”

Edwards said they already reached out to Public Works, but did not receive a response, yet.

“I don’t see it being a problem. The other alternative is to overflow it to the wetlands directly, but that would be more disturbance to the wetlands,” he said.

Commissioner Guidera asked, “Does this stormwater basin filter out any debris or any oils?”

Edwards answered that there is not a separator system.

Guidera followed up by asking if they have “given any thought to how to contain any oil spills or gas spills.”

Edwards said that the applicant’s equipment will be indoors, but he does understand her concern.

“We can look into putting a separator unit in at the discharge coming out of the catch basin, something that would provide some protection before it gets off site,” he added.

Town Input

On that topic, Maguire said that one of his concerns is seepage into the gravel area from “leaky equipment” that would be outside on the property.

“I don’t have a huge company. I’ve got three trucks,” Whippie said.

Maguire also commented on the gravel parking area, saying, “A lot of times there is no definitive boundary [for] wintertime snowplowing and stuff gets pushed back over the years and next thing you know you’re into the wetlands. Would you be open to doing some type of demarcation on the edge of the gravel area … to define the area?”

Edwards said they can put boulders, or an alternative option approved by the town staff, such as trees.

Later in the conversation, commissioner McCabe requested that stakes outline where the gravel area will be.

“We are happy to go and stake it,” Edwards said.

He added that they will also add storage bins for loose material and a demarcation note for the gravel edge area, as well as list the vehicles that will be parked outdoors in the gravel area.

The commission decided to continue the public hearing for IW Application #22-21 by 24 Pecks Lane LLC to its next meeting on September 28.

Final Decision

At the second meeting, IWC members present were Salling, Ferris, McCabe, Guidera, Jackson, and Stephanie Kurose, as well as Maguire and Maisonet from the town.

Edwards and Whippie were both present to continue to represent the application.

Edwards prefaced their presentation, saying, “There was a short list of comments that the commission had, so we made it our best attempt to address all of those.”

Updates highlighted included adding boulders around the perimeter of the proposed disturbance area to help protect the wetlands, a material bin for temporary storage of wood chips or mulch, a hood to the rear parking area’s catch basin, and a spill plan with basic procedures.

Salling inquired if they had heard back from the town about being allowed to hook up to its catch basin, and Edwards responded that they had not heard back from the town, yet.

When asked about the vehicles that would be outside the property, Whippie answered that it would be limited because his intention is to have the majority inside the building. He added that he would not be subleasing the property, so all the vehicles on site would be his.

The commission voted to approve IW Application #22-21’s site improvements with standard conditions A, B, C, D, E, F, O, and P.

All were in favor while commissioner Stephanie Kurose abstained from voting having not attended the previous meeting.

The next IWC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 12, at 7:30 pm in the Newtown Municipal Center, Council Chambers, 3 Primrose Street.

For more information, visit newtown-ct.gov/inland-wetlands-commission.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.