The Woodbridge Land Trust (WLT) and the Woodbridge Park Association (WPA) have recently undertaken efforts to protect property owned by the WLT at 816 Fountain Street. This ten-acre parcel, which includes Bishop’s Pond, is under threat from the proposed four-plus story, 96-unit apartment building at 804 Fountain Street that is the subject of a zoning application currently in front of the Woodbridge Town Plan and Zoning Commission (TPZ). There are serious concerns about the impact such a development could have on the natural resources and environment in the area, including its impact to the pond, nearby wetlands, adjacent neighbors, the downstream Yale Nature Preserve, and on the entire Town of Woodbridge.
In an effort to protect those interests, pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes §22a-19, both land trusts intervened in the 804 Fountain Street zoning application. By law, intervenors are allowed equal status with an applicant (who in this case is a developer) to present evidence and question witnesses at public hearings. C.G.S. §22a-19 allows intervention in an administrative proceeding (such as an application in front of TPZ) when an intervenor can assert that the subject matter of that proceeding involves conduct that is reasonably likely to have the effect of unreasonably polluting, impairing or destroying the public trust in the air, water, or other natural resources of the state.
To demonstrate that the proposed apartment building at 804 Fountain Street was reasonably likely to have such an unreasonable impact on the area’s natural resources, WLT and WPA brought experts to the June 2 public hearing on the application, who pointed out significant flaws in the developer’s proposal. First, Professional Engineer Steven Trinkaus described the severe inadequacy of the applicant’s stormwater management design, and detailed how the design was not in compliance with the requirements of either the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s 2024 guidance, or that of the Town of Woodbridge. He also raised serious questions about whether safety requirements had been met, and was particularly concerned about the feasibility of fire truck access to the property. Woodbridge’s Fire Chief also raised numerous safety concerns at the hearing. Woodbridge’s own engineering report, while much less detailed and comprehensive than ours, confirmed Mr. Trinkaus’ findings, and also raised multiple questions about fire safety at the proposed building. Additionally, our environmental expert, ecologist George Logan, identified significant environmental damage that would result from this construction project, which he detailed at length to TPZ and the public.
