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April 6, 2022

South Windsor adopts a year-long moratorium on new warehouses, distribution centers and freight terminals

Photo | Michael Puffer South Windsor approved this 182,000-square-foot distribution center for Amazon on 13.7 acres at 240 Ellington Road in 2019.
By Michael Puffer

South Windsor’s Planning and Zoning Commission, on Wednesday, unanimously approved a year-long moratorium on acceptance of new applications for warehouses, distribution centers and freight terminals.

A day prior, industrial developer and investor Scannell Properties submitted a wetlands application for a 241,800-square-foot warehouse on 18.8 acres. The development site comes from an assemblage of properties including 67 and 68 Kennedy Road and 352 Sullivan Ave.

South Windsor resident Kathy Kerrigan submitted the moratorium proposal in January, claiming rising frustration among residents impacted by congestion, noise and other impacts that accompanied a wave of warehouse development in South Windsor.

The commission came close to approving the moratorium at its March 22 meeting. However, members opted to extend the hearing after the commission decided to include freight terminals in the ban and an attorney at the meeting raised concerns the proposal had not been available in the Town Clerk’s office.

Town Planner Michele M. Lipe, on Wednesday, said the text of the proposal had been available online and was filed with the clerk’s office. Lipe said she spoke with the town clerk, who said that staff are not always aware of where everything is filed. Lipe said she and the clerk promised to sort through the process to avoid future missteps.

Lipe said a vote on March 22 would not have stopped the Scannell application as the applicant was aware of the town’s contemplation of a moratorium and the process. Allowing a required 15-day delay for implementation from advertisement of new regulation will now see the moratorium begin April 22.

South Windsor, a town of about 27,000 residents, has added seven large distribution centers and warehouses since 2009, ranging from a 176,763-square-foot building for food-and-beverage distributor Vistar, to a 652,000-square-foot building for discount supermarket Aldi.

The moratorium is intended to allow the town a pause in development pressure while it adopts regulation allowing officials stronger controls.

Commission member Alan Cavagnaro suggested the commission establish an ad-hoc committee or subcommittee to propose changes to local regulation.

Having studied actions by other municipalities in Connecticut and beyond, Cavagnaro suggested increasing required buffer distances between residential and industrial lots; requiring health risk assessments for facilities attracting more than 125 truck trips daily; requiring traffic, sound and air quality health assessments for warehouses above a specified square footage; and requiring sufficient queuing capacity at facilities to avoid overflowing onto public roads.

Other commission members complained of a feeling of impotence under current regulations.

Commission member Kevin Foley said he feels applicants are assured by attorneys that proposals will move forward through a court action if denied by South Windsor boards.

“We have no teeth to bite into our decisions and it gets left in the hands of a judge,” Foley said.

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