A firm that wants to create a tire recycling operation in an industrial building at 40 High Bridge Road is expected to submit a revised regulatory proposal to the town, which would seek to add that type of land use to the zoning regulations.

George Benson, town director of planning, said September 25 that he met with a representative of MAAK Environmental Corporation on September 24 to discuss the firm’s making some revisions to its initial regulatory proposal on tire recycling, which the company withdrew from Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) consideration following a September 18 P&Z public hearing.

The public hearing concerned MAAK’s proposal to add a “Type 1 solid waste facility,” as defined by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), as a “special permit” land use in the town’s M-1 (Industrial) zones.

MAAK’s proposed zoning regulations would have required any such waste operation to comply with applicable DEEP regulations.

After extended discussion at the September 18 P&Z session and at the request of P&Z members, MAAK withdrew its regulatory application with the intent to revise it to make it narrower in scope to limit any regulatory mechanism to “tire recycling,” rather than the broader waste category known as “Type 1 solid waste.”

Mr Benson said on September 25 that MAAK is seeking to submit a revised regulatory proposal for review at a P&Z session on October 16.

The High Bridge Road industrial building with M-1 zoning where MAAK wants to do tire recycling formerly housed Make-A-Home Foundation, Inc, which has moved its operations to Waterbury.

Public Hearing

At the September 18 P&Z hearing, Moses Velez and Ken Hillman represented MAAK.

They explained that MAAK would use an “environmentally friendly” rubber recovery system to recycle tires within the industrial building.

If the P&Z were to approve the proposed zoning rules sought by MAAK, the firm could then formally apply to the P&Z for a special permit to conduct the industrial operations allowed by those new zoning rules.

MAAK representatives stressed their proprietary industrial process would be pollution-free and would not create any toxic waste or hazardous emissions.

P&Z member Donald Mitchell said that MAAK’s regulatory proposal concerning “Type 1 solid waste” far exceeds in scope the firm’s tire recycling proposal. He added that such a zoning rule change would apply to all M-1 zones within town.

“It seems to me that this is very broad” in scope, Mr Mitchell said.

P&Z member Michael Porco, Sr, asked whether MAAK has done a “traffic study” which would indicate a tire recycling operation’s effects on area traffic flow.

P&Z member Frank Corigliano said that MAAK’s regulatory proposal appears broad enough to allow there to be a solid waste transfer station, while P&Z Chairman Robert Mulholland said MAAK’s proposed zoning rules apparently would allow the industrial handling of any type of solid waste.

Mr Mitchell said that any such regulatory proposal needs to be “narrowly structured.”

“I really think the [regulatory] proposal need to be more narrowly drawn,” Mr Mulholland said.

“It sounds too good to be true,” Mr Porco said of the tire recycling process. He added he would like to visit an existing facility where the industrial process is underway as a aid to P&Z decisionmaking.

“You’re asking for a big thing here. There’s a lot of ifs and uncertainties and maybes,” Mr Porco said.

“We’re just trying to protect everybody,” he added.

Mr Mulholland said MAAK must present more technical information to the P&Z on its tire recycling process.

Following MAAK’s withdrawal of its initial regulatory proposal, Mr Mulholland said, “We look forward to more information.”

“I’ll get answers for you,” Mr Velez responded.