Proposed Propane Tank For

South Main St Draws Concerns

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are considering a local firm’s proposal to make some physical changes to its 47-49 South Main Street commercial property, including the installation of a commercial propane tank.

The site, at the corner of South Main Street and Mile Hill Road, formerly held Trudeau’s Service Center, Inc., and Trudeau Oil Company. The site now holds Newtown Tire and Service, Inc., and Newtown Oil Company.

To expand the use of the property, Newtown Properties, LLC, is seeking an amendment to its special exception to the zoning regulations, which the P&Z granted in 1992. Officers of Newtown Properties, LLC, listed in the application are Andrew Hunihan and Heather Bliss.

A landscape architect who designed a vegetation plan for the property described his ideas for the property at a March 1 P&Z public hearing on the application, said Elizabeth Stocker, the P&Z’s land use planner. The March 1 session was the second and final installment of a public hearing on the application, which began February 15. P&Z members are expected to act on the application at an upcoming session.

Newtown Properties is seeking to expand and reconfigure off-street parking at the site from eight spaces to 26 spaces; do landscaping work on the corner of South Main Street and Mile Hill Road; reposition a driveway leading to Mile Hill Road; build a concrete pad for the placement of a commercial propane storage tank; build a fire escape at the rear of the building at 49 South Main Street; post commercial signs; create a lot line change; build a walkway; and install a drainage basin.

The firm is not seeking permission from the P&Z to locate a limousine service on the property, as it had in an application which the P&Z had considered last December.

One aspect of the application which has drawn particular criticism from nearby property owners is a proposal to locate a 1,000-gallon commercial propane tank at the rear of the property. The tank would be used to dispense propane to consumers who use the volatile gas as a fuel for gas grilling and other purposes.  

Nearby residents Gary Sheehan, Blanca Sheehan, Lena Moniz, Robert Moniz, and Louis Neves have expressed concerns about the presence of a 1,000-gallon propane tank in their area, which, they say, could cause devastating results if there is an accident.

Another neighbor, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which has Mile Hill Road offices next door to the Newtown Properties site, has expressed similar concerns. The NSSF also has voiced concerns about drainage and increased traffic in the area.

In response to the concerns about the presence of propane, attorney Stephen Wippermann, representing Newtown Properties, has said the tank proposed for the site is a safe device which is regulated by the town fire marshal. Such tanks are fenced off and have limited access, Mr Wippermann said. Newtown Oil Company would do the propane dispensing.