Decision on latest Amazon proposal in Wallingford could come next month

 Lauren Takores, Record-Journal staff

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WALLINGFORD — With the closure of the public hearing on a proposed Amazon facility this week, town officials have stopped accepting changes to the plan, as well as public input.

The Planning and Zoning Commission is considering a special permit application from Montante Construction, a Buffalo, New York-based developer. It would allow an Amazon delivery station at 5 Research Parkway, the former site of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Town Planner Kevin Pagini said that the commission has a minimum of 65 days to vote on whether to grant the special permit, adding that any new COVID-19-related extensions might push that date further out.

There can be no more revisions to the plan by Montante. No further public comments will be accepted either. 

The commission can discuss the plans with town staff and make recommendations for conditions of approval, Pagini said.

Montante wants to build a 219,000-square-foot, 17-dock Amazon delivery station building and parking lot on the 180-acre site.

The commission first discussed the special permit application during a public hearing at the panel’s May meeting.

The public hearing continued during the commission’s June meeting and was continued again Monday night.

After more than four hours of discussion, the commission decided to close the public hearing, with more discussion and a possible vote on the special permit application slated for the August meeting.

Amazon already operates a sortation center nearby at 29 Research Parkway, while Amazon Logistics operates a warehouse and distribution center on South Cherry Street, providing "last mile" service to customers.

Sound barrier

Representatives from Montante and its project partners presented another round of site plan modifications Monday, including a sound barrier to block noise from trucking activity.

Benjamin Mueller, Ostergaard Acoustical Associates acoustical engineer, performed a sound analysis for the project

He said that the acoustical evaluation of on-site sound included the steady HVAC noise from the site and intermittent motor vehicle activity.

Those decibel levels were compared to limits under state and local codes, as well as the ambient sound documented over the course of a 24-hour period.

The conclusion was that the project met all codes and blended with existing sound level in the area, Mueller said.

To improve sound mitigation, the plans now include a 14-foot tall, 450-foot length sound barrier around the truck court.

Tractor trailer trucks are approximately 13-and-a-half-feet tall, according to the presentation.

The wall would be at least three pounds per square foot to provide sufficient mass to block truck noise.

According to a sound emission assessment with and without the wall, a “noticeable reduction” of 4 to 6 decibels would be provided to the east.

Traffic peer review

There have been several traffic peer reviews completed, the latest of which was submitted Friday, representing the third round of comments from VN Engineers, the third party peer reviewer hired by the town.

The analysis studied traffic on the adjacent roadways and intersections during morning, mid-day and evening peak hours, as well as holiday traffic, according to a memo from the town engineering department.

The reviewer also studied the level of service, which measures the ability to maneuver within the traffic stream, delays, driver comfort, the ability to obtain desired speeds and safety, the memo stated.

Level of service is noted with letters A through F, with A being the best conditions and F being the worst.

During normal hours, the traffic study showed no intersections rated F, but four that rated E — three around the Interstate 91 exit 15 ramps and one at the Research Parkway and Route 68 intersection.

During holiday peak traffic hours, several more intersections during morning and evening hours rated E or F.

Ratings E and F show the worst impact on drivers, with long delays at intersections, light cycles that do not clear the vehicles and backups to the next intersection.

Zoning regulations

Attorney Brian Smith, of Robinson and Cole representing Montante, discussed the plan’s consistency with the town zoning regulations.

One of the issues raised during the last public session was whether warehouses are permitted in the Industrial Expansion zone.

The plan is to build what Amazon calls a delivery station, which has constant activity and temporary storage of packages to be delivered.

Commission members Jeff Kohan and Rocco Matarazzo had questioned whether a delivery station can be considered a warehouse, or if the definitions are too divergent to be an approved use in the zone.

Smith cited a June 30 memo from Town Corporation Counsel Janis M. Small to Pagini, who had sought a formal definition for a warehouse as it related to the town zoning regulations.

Small said in the memo that the town’s zoning regulations don’t define warehousing, and that past practice of the commission is "strong evidence of its meaning."

In 2015, the commission approved the nearby Amazon facility at 29 Research Parkway which was described as a warehouse, distribution and sorting facility.

The facility at 425 S. Cherry Street also incorporates "storage warehouses" and was approved last year. The prior use of the property was a warehouse with last mile delivery of appliances for Home Depot.

“In light of the fact that the commission has approved these types of uses as part of the category of warehousing, it is not free to simply reverse course and change it as part of the application process,” Small said.

Neighbor comments

Monday’s continuation of a public hearing drew about 85 people, but it's unclear how many were members of the public.

Jen Frechette, 29 Valley View Drive, said that even with the new steps taken by Montante, she still doesn’t believe the plan it fits into the characteristics of the neighborhood.

“The applicant (Montante) talked about how this is comparable to a Dunkin’ Donuts,” she said. “If we were talking car traffic, like the same number of just passenger vehicles, I would agree, but we’re talking about tractor trailer trucks and a fleet of Amazon vans, and it’s very different.”

Ed Bradley, 2 Hampton Trail, commented on storm water management and the increased impervious surfaces, which includes 41.4 acres of parking lot area, an increase of 15.88 acres from what BMS had.

He said that the proximity of the site to the town’s Watershed Protection District is a concern since the Muddy River, which flows through the site, leads into the Mackenzie Reservoir — the source of the town’s drinking water.

“Number 1, the plan that went through (the) Inland Wetlands (commission) to begin with was flawed,” he said. “Number 2, this modification they have should go back to (Inland Wetlands) for approval and also a public hearing.”

Power plant that drew ire of northwestern CT residents to convert to greener alternative

Kendra Baker

Faced with a mandate of zero carbon emissions by 2040, a New York power plant that provoked the ire of those living just over the border in northwestern Connecticut plans to change its fuel source to something more green.

The Cricket Valley Energy Center in Dover Plains, N.Y., has announced plans to gradually increase hydrogen utilization at its natural gas-powered facility and eventually convert to a 100 percent green hydrogen-fueled power plant.

The decision was made following the 2019 enactment of New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires the state’s electric industry to be carbon emissions free by 2040.

“As a leader in providing reliable, dispatchable power generation, we enlisted GE’s extensive experience with hydrogen to support the development of lower-carbon technologies in the State of New York,” Chuck Davis, President of Advanced Power Asset Management said in a statement. Davis’ company manages the plant.

The Cricket Valley Energy Center has been at the center of controversy longer than it’s been in operation.

Proposed in 2009 and approved in 2012, construction on the plant commenced in the summer of 2017 and was met with opposition, including from Western Connecticut Clean Air Action. The organization, which could not be reached for comment, formed specifically to fight the plant.

Others from New York and northwestern Connecticut residents with environmental and health concerns about the incoming natural gas-fueled facility tried to prevent the plant from coming online with protests and attempts at government intervention.

Although the 1,100-megawatt power plant entered operation last year, it did not stop the efforts of those opposed to the facility.

Various lawsuits were filed to suspend operations at the plant. Just last year, attorneys asked a New York court to issue an injunction to stop operations at Cricket Valley until an environmental impact study could be completed.

While attorneys representing Cricket Valley claimed an environmental review process had been completed when the plant was approved, Joshua Douglas — an attorney involved in the series of legal battles involving the plant — argued that burning natural gas is actually more dangerous than initially believed.

“Since 2012, there’s been a voluminous amount of information about the effect on the planet and the effect on people’s health with burning fracked gas,” Douglas said last year, adding that toxins from Cricket Valley would not only affect New York residents, but people in Connecticut as well given the plant’s proximity to the state line.

To prepare for its fuel source transition, Cricket Valley plans to start with a several-week test of a hydrogen-natural gas blend in one of the plant’s turbines beginning late next year in order to “demonstrate the feasibility of converting the natural gas-fueled facility to utilize green hydrogen,” the company announced Thursday.

Route 37 through Danbury, New Fairfield needs road, sidewalk and other improvements, study says

Kendra Baker

A comprehensive study of Route 37 through Danbury and New Fairfield could lead to major changes, including sidewalks, turn lanes, traffic signals and road improvements.

The report, released by the Western Connecticut Council of Governments, follows a more-than-yearlong study of traffic and safety conditions along the Route 37 corridor.

The study was launched in October 2019, with the goal of improving safety and mobility for drivers and pedestrians along the nearly five-mile stretch of Route 37 from the Interstate 84 Exit 6 off-ramp in Danbury to less than a half-mile north of Route 39 in New Fairfield.

WestCOG analyzed crash data to establish safety conditions and identified several accident “hot spots” — one of which was the Route 37-Stacey Road intersection in Danbury.

With more than 50 reported crashes since 2010, according to the University of Connecticut’s Crash Data Repository, the intersection had one of, if not the highest number of crashes in the corridor study area.

The Route 37 intersections of Stacey Road and nearby Barnum Road have been reconfigured as part of a state Department of Transportation project that involved road widening and realignment, the addition of turn lanes and traffic signals and the elimination of the outdated Y-shaped intersection at Stacey Road.

To enhance safety and mobility, WestCOG recommends pedestrian signal heads on Stacey Road, as well as the installation of a sidewalk on the east side of Route 37 from the intersection to Padanaram Road, as well as a sidewalk from Barnum Road to Bear Mountain Road.

WestCOG made a number of other recommendations for improving the stretch of Route 37 — ranging from sidewalk, crosswalk, signal and sign installations to turn-lane additions, road realignments and shoulder widening.

Among the more than 10 spots identified for needed improvements were the intersections of Route 39 and Saw Mill Road in New Fairfield, as well as Peck, Stacey, Barnum, Padanaram and Golden Hill roads and Jeanette Street in Danbury.

The estimated cost to implement all the recommendations in WestCOG’s report is between $4.7 million and $7.8 million.

Due to high traffic volume, Route 37 at Route 39 in New Fairfield’s center was the busiest intersection in the northern part of WestCOG’s study area.

With signal work already planned for that intersection, WestCOG’s recommended installing a southbound left-turn lane on Route 37, reducing the speed limit to 30 mph and installing a speed-feedback sign in the southbound direction of Route 37.

WestCOG proposes that the sidewalk in the southwest area of the intersection be upgraded to a multi-use path as part of a proposed trail that would stretch from New Fairfield’s town center to Bear Mountain Road in Danbury.

New Fairfield’s Board of Selectmen is awaiting a presentation on the study.

Reservoir trail

Part of the Route 37 corridor study looked at the possible construction of the long-proposed trail along the Margerie Reservoir — a concept introduced more than a decade ago.

In its report, WestCOG supported the idea of constructing a 10-foot-wide trail along the reservoir and recommended connecting it to the proposed multi-use path from Bear Mountain Road to downtown New Fairfield.

“We are very excited about the possibility of having the Margerie trail on the New Fairfield side,” New Fairfield First Selectman Pat Del Monaco said.

Referring to it as “the biggest element of the study” for New Fairfield, Del Monaco said she believes the trail would help economic development in the center of town, while giving people a safe place to walk and ride bicycles.

The project would come with an estimated cost of $2 million to $3.5 million, and take about five years to complete, according to WestCOG’s report.

After introducing a bill earlier this year to authorize state bonds for design and planning of the long-proposed Margerie Reservoir Trail, state Rep. Ken Gucker put in a $4 million bonding request for the project.

Gucker — a Democrat representing Danbury, New Fairfield and Ridgefield’s 138th District — said the request is pending State Bond Commission approval.

WestCOG considered three design concepts for the reservoir trail — a side path adjacent to Route 37, an entirely off-road trail through the woods of the reservoir property, and a hybrid design that combines the side path and off-road trail concepts — and deemed the third one most feasible.

The hybrid concept would not only minimize effects to the area’s natural resources, WestCOG found, but be responsive to grade challenges and complement other pedestrian recommendations like proposed sidewalks along the Route 37 stretch from Bear Mountain Road to Padanaram Road.

Since Danbury owns the Margerie Reservoir property and would be responsible for securing appropriate permits, WestCOG noted the city’s acceptance of a conceptual alignment design is critical for the plan’s implementation.

Del Monaco said New Fairfield looks forward to working with its neighboring municipality to turn the idea into reality.

Labor Department: CT added 3,500 jobs in June, recovering 65% of jobs lost at start of COVID-19

Paul Schott

Connecticut gained 3,500 jobs in June, marking its sixth-straight month of rising employment, according to preliminary data released Thursday by the state Department of Labor.

The state has now recovered about 65 percent of the 292,000 jobs lost in March and April 2020, during shutdowns sparked by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the decrease last month of 600 private-sector positions, which offset the addition of 4,100 government jobs, shows that Connecticut’s economy still faces headwinds.

“It’s encouraging that jobs are up overall, but what’s a little troubling is that private-sector jobs were down by 600,” Eric Gjede, vice president of government affairs for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, said in an interview. “It just demonstrates that we are in no way, shape or form completely out of the woods yet when it comes to recovery from the pandemic. We still have some challenges ahead of us.”

Alongside the 0.2 percent increase in jobs, the state’s unemployment rate dropped from 8.1 percent in May to 7.9 percent last month.

As it does every month, the Labor Department also reported Thursday revisions in the previous month’s numbers. Last month, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the state’s May unemployment rate at 7.7 percent. The updated numbers showed, however, that the May jobless rate did not change from the April level of 8.1 percent. At the same time, the Labor Department revised the May jobs gain from 7,800 to 8,100.

The increased unemployment rate in May likely indicates that additional workers were entering the job market, according to Labor Department officials. Those who are not looking for work are not counted in jobless rates.

Last month, four of the state’s 10 major industries expanded their employment, while six saw declines.

In addition to the increase in public-sector employment, the “other services” industry gained 2,400 jobs, leisure and hospitality picked up 1,600 and professional and business services added 200.

Trade, transportation and utilities lost the most jobs in June, with a reduction of 1,400 positions. Construction and mining shed 1,000 jobs, and financial activities and manufacturing each lost 700. There were declines of 600 in education and health services and 400 in information.

“Private-sector jobs are up 8,100 over two months as the uneven monthly pattern continues, even with some recent weakness,” Patrick Flaherty, director of the Labor Department’s Office of Research, said in a statement. “Construction and retail trade have regained 70 percent or more of the jobs lost during the pandemic. The same is true for management of companies, accommodation and food services and private education which have added jobs in each of the past two months.”

Danté Bartolomeo, interim labor commissioner, said the June numbers reflected the resilience of Connecticut’s economy and workforce.

“After reaching a high of 392,000 weekly unemployment filers in May 2020, we are now at 165,000 weekly filers, and those numbers are trending down,” Bartolomeo said in a statement. “We have a long way to go — in a normal year we have about 40,000 claimants filing each week — but the labor numbers, and the filing numbers are going in the right direction.”

The declining unemployment claims in Connecticut align with a nationwide trend. On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that jobless claims had dropped last week by 26,000 to 360,000 — the lowest level since the start of the pandemic.

Connecticut’s containment of COVID-19, including one of the highest vaccination rates in the country, has bolstered its economic recovery.

Republican legislators remain, however, deeply concerned about the state’s economy, which had recovered in January 2020 only 83 percent of the jobs lost in its 2008-2010 recession.

“Young people in Connecticut are graduating to an unemployment pool of over 100,000 people,” state Sen. Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, the Senate minority leader, said last week. “Connecticut is dead last in the nation in job growth and income growth.”

But many major companies still believe in the state, with last month ranking as one of its biggest ever for corporate recruitment.

Tobacco giant Philip Morris International is relocating its headquarters to the state from Manhattan. Financial-technology firm iCapital Network is opening offices in Greenwich; manufacturer and technology-services provider ITT is moving its headquarters from White Plains, N.Y., to Stamford; and Tomo Networks, a new financial-technology firm focused on real estate, has established its headquarters in Stamford.

Those companies have cumulatively committed to bringing more than 550 jobs to Connecticut.

“When we’re attracting new businesses, that’s great news,” Gjede said. “We owe a lot to the governor holding his line and the emergence of a moderate group of folks in the legislature — both Republicans and Democrats — who have been doing the right things.”