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in a residential neighborhood, near an elementary school, presentation to planning and zoning and goal without any public input was to start construction 6 weeks later. Numbers about traffic, noise only focus on one tennant when there will be a second (unknown) plus 200,000 sq ft more building in future. Traffic study done by the developers chosen company (not Enfield or State of CT) during covid when schools were closed, people were mostly working from home. They took the numbers they counted and multiplied by a factor of 2.5. Zero buses X 2.5 still equals zero. Zero cars driving to a huge employer in that area (0) because that whole campus was working from home.
Developer said this will NOT be a big jobs developer and I’m sure they are getting huge tax breaks (the developer is already the 3rd biggest tax payer in Enfield
Refrigeration trucks that run 24/7, noise, pollution, traffic, wear/tear on roads, safety and 20 houses will have this in their direct backyard (209 feet from their lot)
I took a look at the application information that is available online. This property is zoned for industrial use and I qis surrounded by other industrial properties on the north, south and west. The town’s public works complex is next to it. I’m not sure what you expect to be built on this property but certainly a 500,000 square foot warehouse complex is not out of line for this site. In fact I think this is exactly the type of development that was envisioned for it when the property was zoned for industrial use.
The traffic study for the project was prepared by Fuss & O’Neill, one of the most respected engineering firms in the state. They are based in Manchester so I don’t know why you think they are from out of state. It says Manchester right on the cover of the Report. Also note that I don’t know of any Enfield based traffic engineers (and believe me I know them all) so you can’t get more local than them even if you wanted to.
The traffic study acknowledges that the traffic counts were conducted during the shutdown but notes that the volumes they use were adjusted per the direction of CTDOT’s Traffic Engineering unit. CTDOT has been monitoring traffic volumes on major roads in the state for decades. They know the traffic conditions on these roads prior to the shutdown and would not approve the volumes used if they were not accurate. Believe it or not, they look at traffic very objectively and would not have done that if there was even a minor question of their accuracy.
Also note that local plann8ng and zoning commissions cannot just arbitrarily deny an application. They have strict zoning laws and the town’s plan of development that they must follow. They can’t deny something that conforms to zon8ng just because they don’t like it or because someone feels it is not needed. It’s not their job to do that and if they did, they would open the town up to a very expensive lawsuit they would surely lose. That is why residents need to get involved in the development or updating of their community’s plan of development process.
Given all this, I would be surprised if the town denied this application. There is nothing that I see that would warrant that. Please remember that this developer has every right to use this property to its highest and best use under the zoning laws just like anyone else. How would you feel if you were told you could use your home or a part of it? I don’t think you would like it. I know I wouldn’t. I hope this helps. Jay
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