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The What

The What: This Week in Southwest Connecticut

The What is your look around Southwest Connecticut for the week of January 9.

The What: This Week in Southwest Connecticut
Meetings and events are back in full swing this week after a break for the holidays. (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, January 9

Happy Monday! It’s a busy week around the region. But before we jump into that, I wanted to take a moment and remember State Representative Quentin Williams, of Middletown, who was killed this week in a wrong-way crash on Route 9 in Cromwell. I shared some thoughts on our commitment to covering transportation-related issues and wanted to a few stories we’ve already done:

Since it’s a busy week, here’s a few of the big events happening around the region this week:

  • The Resilient South Norwalk Project is hosting a public workshop on Thursday, January 12, related to flooding, climate change impacts, and resilience in that area of Norwalk.
  • The United Illuminating Company is hosting a Public Informational Meeting  in Fairfield on Wednesday, January 11 to give a presentation on its railroad transmission line rebuild project along the Metro North tracks in the town.
  • CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is hosting a public hearing in Greenwich on Wednesday, January 11 related to soil remediation at Western Middle School.

Let’s dive in.

Stamford

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 10 at 6:30 p.m. on the recommended capital budget for the upcoming fiscal year, where residents can weigh in on proposed capital projects.

The Zoning Board will hold multiple public hearings at its meeting on Monday, January 9 at 6:30 p.m. The board will continue its public hearing on the proposal for 68 Seaview Avenue. The plans call for converting an office building into 52 residential units with some office space and parking. The public hearing for 160 Atlantic Street, which calls for an 11-story hotel, will also continue at this meeting. The board will also open a public hearing for Arrow Alternative Care at 806 East Main Street, which is proposing to convert a medical marijuana dispensary into a hybrid retail location, now that the state has legalized retail sales of cannabis.

Other meetings this week include:

Norwalk

The Resilient South Norwalk Project is hosting its first public workshop on Thursday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m. The project aims to “analyze potential problems the community faces and come up with ways to adapt to the climate risks of flooding and extreme heat.” This first public workshop will feature an overview of the goals for the project and will be an opportunity for residents to share their thoughts on flooding, climate change, and how their experience in South Norwalk relates to these topics.

The city’s Commission on the Status of Women will meet on Monday, January 9 at 7 p.m. and hear from two guest speakers—State Representative Dominique Johnson of the 143rd House District, which serves parts of Norwalk and Westport, who will discuss the 2023 legislative session; and Steven Hernández, Esq., Executive Director at Connecticut Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, who will discuss the commission’s mission and its 2023 priorities.

Other meetings this week include:

Fairfield

The United Illuminating Company is hosting a Public Informational Meeting on Wednesday, January 11 at 7 p.m. at the Main Library on Old Post Road to give a presentation on its railroad transmission line rebuild project. As a part of the project, their monopoles, which carry electricity, will be relocated south of the Metro North tracks. The project will also upgrade transmission lines to “help maintain system reliability, promote climate resiliency, preserve safety within and adjacent to the transmission lines and provide technological enhancements to legacy system equipment.”

There will be a Special Joint Meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, Board of Education, Representative Town Meeting, and the Parks and Recreation Commission on Thursday, January 12 at 7 p.m. to hear a presentation on the parks and recreation master plan.

On Tuesday, January 10 at 6:30 p.m., the Plan & Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on an application for a veterinary hospital that would include dog boarding and a day care at 2269 Post Road.

Other meetings this week include:

Greenwich

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is hosting a public hearing at Western Middle School on Wednesday, January 11 at 6 p.m. related to soil remediation at the school. First Selectman Fred Camillo said in a statement that “the time is now for this overdue remediation.”

“Students at Western have been denied the chance to use their own playing fields for far too long,” Camillo’s statement reads. “Western’s community has waited six years for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to take action.”

Since June 2016, “more than 600 soil samples have been collected and ten groundwater monitoring wells have been installed and sampled periodically at the site,” according to a fact sheet from DEEP. “Contaminants of concern at concentrations above regulatory criteria in soil include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, metals, and pesticides.”

In August 2022, a remedial action plan was submitted to address the contamination. This meeting will be a chance for the public to weigh in on the remediation efforts, which could begin summer 2023.
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The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, January 11 at 5 p.m. for a pre-application review on an application for 1 American Lane—currently an office park—that calls for 456 units of housing on the “undeveloped portions of the 154.5-acre parcel” that would include a mix of starter and townhouses.

Other meetings this week include:

Darien

The Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will include a presentation, discussion and possible action on the design development documents and estimates for the Hindley, Holmes, and Royle school construction project.

On Monday, January 9, the Board of Selectmen will meet at 7 p.m. and discuss the final report as a part of the emergency services study.

Other meetings this week include:

  • Monday, January 9: RTM—Rules Committee at 7:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, January 10: Monuments & Ceremonies Commission at 3:30 p.m. | Planning & Zoning Commission at 7:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, January 11: Advisory Committee on Sustainability at 12 p.m. | Blight Review Board at 5:30 p.m. | RTM—Finance & Budget at 7:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, January 12: Human Services Commission at 8:30 a.m. | Operations Planning Committee 8:30 a.m. | Five Mile River Commission at 6 p.m. | Board of Finance at 7:30 p.m. | RTM—Planning Zoning & Housing at 7:30 p.m. | RTM—Public Works at 8 p.m.

Westport

The Representative Town Meeting Planning & Zoning and Transit Committees are meeting on Tuesday, January 10 at 6:30 p.m. and Thursday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m. to review two decisions from the Planning and Zoning Commission that have been appealed to the Representative Town Meeting.

The commission approved changes to its zoning regulations and map for multiple properties along Railroad Place, Riverside Avenue, Franklin Street, and Charles Street. The changes moved the properties to the “General Business District/Saugatuck Marina” zone. According to the application, “the purpose of the GBD/SM Zone would be to encourage a mix of residential development including commercial, office, hotel and retail.” Supporters of the rezoning said that it would allow for properties in the area to be developed to enhance the area and its aesthetics, provide more pedestrian access, and allow for more recreational water-related uses and views. However, opponents of the rezoning raised concerns about density, traffic, and other issues with allowing more development in the area.

The approval was appealed to the full Representative Town Meeting, so the committees will first review and discuss what the commission approved before it submits a recommendation to the full board.

Other meetings this week include:

Please note: All of these agendas and information here are current as of Sunday night. Meeting times and agendas may get adjusted throughout the week.

Thank you for reading!

If you are interested in being a part of our reporting or just want to share your thoughts, please reach out at coastalconnecticuttimes@gmail.com.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

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