By Brandon T. Bisceglia
FCP Euro wants to build a 160,000 square-foot warehouse for its online auto parts business on the Milford land being vacated by Subway as the fast food giant decamps to Shelton.
But at a Planning and Zoning Board meeting on Nov. 8, that plan met with some stiff headwinds, as many residents from the section of the city where the warehouse would go spoke out vehemently against its environmental impacts.
Attorney Kevin Curseaden, representing the developers, came before the board seeking both a text amendment to the zoning rules around the property, as well as to seek a special permit and site plan review for the proposed warehouse.
Curseaden said that large office complexes – what is currently allowed in the zone – are on the decline, and the developer was looking for a way to make the best use of the site.
“We’re looking for a way to reuse this site with something that is needed in Milford, and something which is also needed for the economic health of Milford and to keep jobs here,” he said.
FCP Euro already has a presence in Milford, with one location on Bic Drive nearby and another location several miles away on Hill Street, a few blocks from the Green. The plan would be to consolidate its headquarters and warehouse into one facility at the former Subway site. The FCP owners suggested this would increase their own efficiency and reduce overall vehicle traffic in the city.
Several city leaders spoke in favor of the plan, including members of the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce and Milford’s Economic Development Commission.
Mayor Richard Smith also spoke out in favor of the proposal, saying that FCP was a “word-class” company and that developer Bob Scinto had worked well with the city for years. He also noted that he was involved in creating the city-owned passive open space that contains Mondo Ponds near the property, and that it was “near and dear to my heart.”
Others, however, spoke out strongly against the environmental impact the FCP facility would have, citing everything from the effects on the wildlife to the effects on those who frequent the nature preserve to the effects of diesel fumes on the children at the nearby John F. Kennedy Elementary School.
Milford resident Dr. Lisa Tryon, who has worked in environmental conservation, pointed out that the Mondo Ponds area is listed by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as being home to numerous endangered plant and animal species.
“The noise of trucks, the particulate matter from diesel and the light pollution at night is obviously not conducive to a nature preserve. And that includes the people who previously enjoyed Mondo Pond as a quiet spot to walk in nature,” she said. “Industrial warehouses do not belong in an area with precious natural resources. They belong in a zoned industrial area, of which Milford has several.”
Resident Alan Koller provided a petition to the board signed by 302 residents opposing the project. A second petition in opposition was also handed in by attorney Thomas DeMatteo, who lives in the area and is representing some of the opposing neighbors.
The petitions could put a further damper on the project’s approval, since if more than 20 percent of those within 500 feet of the property deliver such a petition, the board will need a two-thirds majority to approve the project, instead of a simple majority.
“There’s not one positive impact for anyone who lives in that area,” DeMatteo said. “The idea that our tax base and our economic development dictates the quality of life in this city is absurd.”
After the public participation, Curseaden countered that the facility would actually have fewer trucks traveling shorter distances than they do now. He argued they would not be idling on the site or running late into the night.
Planning and Zoning Chair Jim Quish asked the applicant about the storage of oil-based products, which come with their own environmental and safety issues. He was told the facility would hold about 200 gallons of used motor oil per day.
That prompted further questioning from City Planner David Sulkis about other potentially hazardous products and the handling of oil products.
Quish said that in light of the information the board had received, including the petitions, it would not be possible to make a decision on the applicant’s proposal that evening. It was continued to the board’s Nov. 21 meeting.
“I will be in California,” Quish mentioned to his colleagues as the nearly four-hour meeting came to a close. “Have fun.”