By Sarah Opdahl

At a multi-hour New Fairfield Zoning Commission (Zoning) meeting on Wednesday, September 2, members listened to a mixed bag of comments regarding the proposed development for twenty-four, two-bedroom homes on Coolidge and Hoover Roads, off Milltown Road. The project falls under 8-30g, Connecticut’s  Affordable  Housing  Land  Use  Appeals Law, which New Fairfield is subject to given the very limited amount of available affordable housing in Town, far under the law’s threshold. While some attendees spoke in favor of affordable housing, most speakers were homeowners near the proposed site and were in attendance to express concerns. 8-30g greatly limits Zoning’s ability to deny a project beyond public health and safety concerns, though several commenters used that language to convey their apprehensions.

Proponents spoke about the great need for affordable housing in the area. Town officials noted the care that was taken at the Inlands/Wetlands review to be sure that the project was appropriate for approval at that stage, working with the Town’s engineer, Mr. Tony Iadarola.

Opponents’ comments ran the gamut, though most centered on the proposed increased density’s potential impact to the local hydrology and traffic/road usage. Concerns about an altered water table’s ramifications on wells/water supply, septic, drainage, and more were all laid out. There was a proposal introduced by one resident that a water bond be created to help cover costs in case aquifers and water rights are impacted. Questions were raised regarding when and what tests were performed for septic tank usage, plus which methodology was used given the known presence of bedrock on the site. There were also inquiries about the excavation that was conducted over the past few years that may have impacted the site.

Traffic fears not only encompassed emergency-vehicle access, but the steep rise in personal vehicles on the reportedly narrow roads, including the likelihood of a natural increase in delivery vehicles that would accompany the two dozen new homes.  Further complicating the issue is the privately owned roads in the area, and a proposed new Homeowners Association that would collect fees to maintain the roads among the new development’s residents, which may or may not be offered as rentals.

Some concerns were outside the above scope and ranged from impacts to the school system due to increased student population—though those fears run against what was expressed as a potential opportunity when selling the building of two new schools to taxpayers—to nerves about increased crime in the area.

Having steeped themselves in this particular application following review at prior meetings, including a special meeting that involved an 8-30g primer by the Town’s legal counsel, Zoning members were understandably cautious in their framing and handling of the application and public hearing. Following the public hearing, they tabled the application until more information can be gathered from at least the fire chief and marshall regarding emergency-access to the area, plus a close review of the traffic study that was completed. Water-related matters will be handled through the State.

A second public hearing was held on a special permit application for 1 Ball Pond Road to construct a new treatment building for PFAS removal by Aquarion Water Company. It was explained that this is the third and final PFAS treatment building that is planned for the Ball Pond system. Mr. Zach Kubler with Snyder Civil Engineering explained that “the site has an existing well station…Aquarion’s been implementing an initiative to treat all their systems for PFAS, which is one of the emerging forever chemicals that we hear a lot about on the news.” He went on, “we looked at the site and tried to see if we could do this treatment [in the existing building]…Unfortunately, the station currently has all the floor space used up with electrical equipment, pumps, treatment equipment, etc. So, we had to look at constructing an accessory building to perform this treatment.” The plan is to construct a new treatment building that will house “a filter vessel…[that] uses ion exchange basically to pull the PFAS out of the water.” The 16-foot by 22-foot proposed building would be identical to the one that is already on the site. One resident spoke out with concerns regarding the aesthetics of the proposed building, given that the current building, signage, lighting, and high fencing that was added is not seen as a pleasant experience/view for adjacent homeowners.

Zoning members learned more about an application for a “containerized solar-powered bag drop station” for the recycling of redeemable bottles and cans at Stop & Shop. The proposal would remove five parking spots from the lot on the edge just down from the gazebo. The company who recently partnered with Stop & Shop, Clynk, had a representative, Ms. Kelly Hovey, at the meeting to describe the plan. She said the system “is a simplified, clean, quick, and convenient way to redeem your bottles and cans. We are not exclusive to the bottles and cans that you have purchased at the Stop & Shop. We accept any bottles, cans, glass, plastic, aluminum. No counting, no sorting. You just fill them up in a kitchen trash bag. When the bag is full, you tie it, scan it, drop it off. It takes about 10 to 15 seconds to drop off your whole bag, and typically within two to three business days, those containers are processed, and all the funds are credited to an account that lives virtually that you can access at the Stop & Shop.” When asked about cleanliness, she explained that there are two Clynk “ambassadors” who live in Connecticut and frequently visit the stores to assess and clean the stations.

Hovey further explained, “once you create an account, which you can either sign up for with a physical card at the store [or] you can call our customer service team, we will mail you one. You can download the app. You can create an account online. So, we aim to hit all the different demographics because some people don’t like the phone, some people don’t need the physical card. But there’s a ton of different ways that you can sign up. And then inside the store, there’s a kiosk. It’s right at the front of the store, and that kiosk is where you print your bag tags and where, ultimately, you’ll withdraw your cash withdrawal slips. So, a lot of people use it as a savings account, save it for a vacation or Christmas shopping or something of that nature. Other folks choose to take the cash voucher out every time they come to the store and take a few dollars off their grocery purchase.”

The next regular New Fairfield Zoning Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, 7:30 p.m.