USA: Plainfield Introduces Lathrop Brook Development Plan

The Town of Plainfield is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, to conduct work in waters of the United States in conjunction with developing five lots at the Plainfield Industrial Park in Plainfield, Conn.

The Town of Plainfield is proposing the discharge of fill material into wetlands associated with Lathrop Brook, located within the Plainfield Industrial Park on the northern side of Pratt Road directly adjacent to Route 395 in Plainfield. The purpose of the fill material is to develop the lots within this industrial subdivision. The application is for the proposed discharge of fill into 1.17 acres of wetlands for buildings to be constructed on five lots, and the retention, of 1.65 acres of fill on seven other lots.

In 1989 the Corps issued a permit to the Town of Plainfield to fill approximately 1 acre of wetlands for road crossings and drainage installation in the Plainfield Industrial Park. The subdivision’s present configuration of lots, and wetland delineation, were included with the original permit, however, additional wetland filling occurred as the lots were developed over the years without further authorization.

The town proposes to provide compensation for the past and proposed wetland impacts by preserving 30.23 acres of forested and scrub shrub wetlands and upland buffers within the Industrial Park, and by donating a 90-acre tract of land south of Colbridge Road to the state of Connecticut. This land contains approximately four acres of forested and scrub shrub wetlands and vernal pools and abuts a state forest.

The location of the preserved lots within the subdivision, and the boundaries of the parcel that will be donated to the state are included in the public notice.

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Press Release, February 26, 2014