Geer Street Project Highlands
Cromwell, Connecticut
Scannell Properties Truck Terminal
Every person in Town should understand what this project could do to Cromwell
if the permits are granted by the town.
Quick Information
Count the trucks in this picture.
You can count about 25 trucks. This project will have parking for 500 trucks and loading docks for 178 trucks!
That is 'this picture' multiplied by 27. Lots of trucks.
Cromwell Town Meetings
Inland Wetlands Meeting
Wed Oct 5th @7pm
Town Hall Room 224
IWWA discussion and vote!
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PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IS REQUESTED
It is still up to the Inland Wetlands Agency to consider Application 22-02 and its supporting documentation along with the Intervener comments and reports, the public comments, evidence and testimony and any other state agency reports or comments when making their decision.
Let's count on them making the right decision for Cromwell.
Whats New?
Things You Can Do
Attend Our Informational
Peaceful Protests
Friday Sept 30th
Pierson Park Home football game
Please stop by and talk with us. Get info
Bring your spare change - we'll have a collection jug to add to our GoFundMe
Help save the heart of Cromwell
Proceeds go directly to pay legal fees and other professional fees. All volunteers receive zero $$ from this fundraising page. Yard signs, flyers, and brochures are paid for by a private group.
Sunday Sept18th
Pierson Park Youth Football
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End of 2021/2022 School Year
Morning /afternoon pickup
ECS WIS CMS
News about the Opposition
Decision pushed back on proposed 1 million square foot Cromwell warehouse
Austin Mirmina
Aug. 4, 2022Updated: Aug. 5, 2022 9:48 a.m.
Cromwell neighbors fight mega-warehouse plan they’ve dubbed ‘Project Donkey Kong’
By Don Stacom
Hartford Courant
Aug 24, 2022 at 6:00 am
Project Highlands
One of the biggest concerns
Constant Diesel Fuel Exhaust
Scannell has previously mentioned their modeling of exposure to particulates (PM). PMs are only one narrow slice of the the pie. While diesel particulates are a concern (and known carcinogen), exhaust presents many other compounds of interest.
As characterized by NIH, other major components of truck exhaust include:
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon Dioxide
Nitric Oxide
Nitrogen Dioxide
Sulfur Dioxide
Click yellow cloud for more info
A 2021 report from the local air quality monitoring management office found that people living within half a mile of warehouses had higher rates of asthma and heart attacks
than residents in the region overall.
Project Highlands
The 22-02 Application Process
Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency IWWA
On May 4th, Scannell submitted application 22-02 to IWWA. Discussions in IWWA would be guided by the IWWA regulations, Public Comments and Evidence presented.
IWWA May 4th Meeting
On May 4th, Scannell submitted application 22-02.to IWWA. Discussions in IWWA would be guided by the IWWA regulations, Public Comments and evidence presented.
Scannell's
Application 22-02
The Application Scannell submitted has small differences from Appl. 21-06 .
Click below to see the Application documents on the Town's Website.
June 1st Public Hearing
Scannell presented their new application
and all the backup details for it.
Our Group filed for Intervener Status which allowed our Lawyer to speak.
REMA's Soil Scientist spoke on our behalf
What is an Intervener?
6/1/22 Meeting Venue
Our 'meeting venue' change request was ignored. Only 50 members of the public were allowed to see and hear the public hearing in June. How can it be called a public hearing?
7/6/22 Meeting Venue
The big-screen room in the library was set-up to broadcast the meeting. It was in a separate building but it was the presented solution to our venue change request.
7/28/22
Scannell submissions
Best Business Practices
The developer submitted an application in 2021. They said they had used best business practices and that they had thought of everything.
The Peer Review proved them wrong.
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The developer then submitted a new application this year. They said they used best business practices and that there were no alternatives.
How about the NO BUILD alternative?
IWWA July 6th Meeting
At the July 6th meeting, our lawyer and two REMA Scientists spoke about several reasons to not approve the permit. The reasons included a vernal pool being filled, breaking the continuity between other vernal pools, a road dividing the wetlands, wetlands missed during testing and documenting
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The neighbor opposition group gave comments about the reasons to deny as well.
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The lawyer gave an example of a similar wetland area and treatment by developer that was denied in Old Saybrook. The difference was that it was a golf course.
All speakers had reasons why the IWWA could/should deny the permit request:
1. The destruction of Vernal Pool 7, and the harm to the animals and plants that live IN VP 7, are all reasons to deny the Application. Harm to animal and plant life in VP 7 can be a reason for denial, as can the destruction of the wetland itself
2A. The destruction of VP 7 will sever the interconnectivity and interdependence of these VPs and wetlands, including and especially VPs 4 and 6.
2B. The construction of the road will harm the migration patterns of the animals.
2C. The harm to animals in 2A and 2B will lead to negative impacts to the physical characteristics of the other wetlands and VPs. With this connection, the Commission can deny the Application.
3. The Feasible and Prudent Alternative would be to use the land as it's zoned, and build smaller buildings; OR relocate and build a smaller warehouse. The alternatives they supplied are probably legally sufficient but obvious better alternatives were missed.
4. A wetland was missed on the wetlands reporting.
8/3/22 IWWA Meeting
There is a Middletown Press article that gave good coverage of the meeting in a section above.
At the meeting, Scannell spoke first, The opposition lawyer and REMA were next. The Opposition group spoke and sited specific regulations and the reasons, due to that regulation, that the permit should be denied. Scannell was allowed to speak again but our intervenors speakers were not allowed. The IWWA had questions for REMA. The vote was delayed to September. The meeting ended because IWWA only allows the meetings to continue until 10pm.
9/7/22 IWWA Meeting
The Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency on Wednesday tabled until October its decision on a proposal to construct a 1.04-million-square-foot warehouse on 250 acres in the Mattabesset River watershed.
Town Planner Stuart Popper said that several agency members had requested more time to review materials associated with the application, prompting a 30-day extension. The agency will vote on the proposal at its next meeting Oct. 5, according to Popper. It must act on that date, he added.
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10/05/22 IWWA Meeting
It is still up to the Inland Wetlands Agency to consider Application 22-02 and its supporting documentation along with the Intervener comments and reports, the public comments, evidence and testimony and any other state agency reports or comments when making their decision.
Let's count on them making the right decision for Cromwell.
Project Highlands 22-02
The Plan
Old 21-06 plan
New 22-02 site plan - lots of details!
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The GIGANTIC Details:
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1682 ft X 620 ft building
1/3 mile X 1/8 mile building
1,042,840 square ft building
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518 Truck/Trailer Parking spots
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163 Loading docks
369 Employee parking places
18,007 square ft active vernal pool filled
3 lane truck queuing in middle of site
1/2 mile truck road thru wetlands
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The Wetlands Plan 22-02
Are there potential affects on the wetlands?
The property that Geer St Project Highlands is being built on has defined wetland areas. The Developer plans to fill one of the wetlands areas. Many frogs, turtles, salamanders, etc live in these wetlands.
The Wetlands's Vernal Pools
Vernal Pool #4
<--->
Vernal Pool #7
<--->
Vernal Pool #6
Active VP 4 requires VP7 and VP 6 to maintain the environment neccesary to remain active
Active VP 6
will end up dying as the path to other pools is covered by the building and pavement
Active VP 7 is being filled and killed.
It will be under the freight terminal.
Missed Wetland in Reporting
There is an area which exhibits surficial characteristics of a wetland. This is located to the north of 46R Geer St, in an area proposed for truck parking, per the submitted plans.
According to the aerial photo record, this area has exhibited high moisture. In past several years the crop and harvesting was affected due to the wet area.
The 1/2 mile road crossing through the Property
The Wetlands Assessment Report has a
section on page A-31 that talks about
"Access Road Mitigation Measures"
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The Road
Rt 3
the
building
side
From page A-31:
"The following structural mitigation measures have been incorporated into the access road design to facilitate movement of amphibians across the road and minimize impact and chances for incidental mortality."
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"Road width has been minimized to the maximum extent possible."
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"...low profile curbing..."
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"Access road shoulders are designed with gentle grades made of earthen fill (as opposed to stone) to avoid impediments to migrating herpetofauna."
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But wait - on page A-18 it says that there will be more than 10 vehicles per hour on the access road! Sounds like roadkill!
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(cont.) Page A-31
"Traffic Volumes are anticipated to be lower after dark when most amphibian overland movement would occur, further lessoning incidental adult mortality to vernal pool indicator species."
This implies that the company occupying the building is known at this time. For example, if it were Burris occupying this building, their trucks access the site only at night and that comment wouldn't apply.
Wetlands snow plowing
When it is cold enough to have ice on roads, chemicals are often used to keep ice from forming on roads and parking areas. When these areas are plowed in the Project Highlands area, these chemicals will get into the wetlands and watercourses nearby.
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Please Ask Yourself:
Should IWWA grant this special permit?
The Trucks
Trucks During Construction Phase
The yellow road indicated near Geer will continue into the construction site.
In this map, the yellow road with red arrow shows the road being used to get trucks into the site during construction.
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Please note the following:
1) The road is located on a curve in Geer St
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2) Blue arrow shows a brook protected by wetlands regulations. All storm drains on this part of the street empty into the brook.
3) Located near back driveway of firehouse
4) Located directly in a residential area
5) This part of Geer St was the site of a sink hole years ago. With heavy truck traffic, will it happen again?
The Truck Traffic
Lots of diesel trucks coming and going will cause lots of traffic on Cromwell's roads.
Will this affect your commute times or getting kids to school on time?
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The main entrance is on the Shunpike near County Line Rd. Rt 3 is already crowded.
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The trucks will find the shortest path from highways. All main roads could be affected.
The Geer Street Building
Mock-up
The building is 24 acres
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The parking totals 23 acres
This is a crude "to scale" CAD mockup of the site. This mockup assumes Scannell will stick with plan for a 40 foot tall building.
As most already know the entire east and west side are loading bays.
All parking on east & west side is for trucks.
369 spaces for employees are at North (far) end.
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The small rectangles at the bottom of the picture are existing houses on the street
This is a building of similar size to what Scannell is proposing for the Geer St property. Note that Cromwell's proposed facility has more loading docks.
This is from Scannell's site!
CBRE
Brochure
Note:
The picture on the brochure is of the 400,000 sq ft building on County Line Rd.
The Geer St building is 2.5 times the size!
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Is it true that this brochure has been online since 2020?
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"THE BIG PICTURE"
Mega-warehouses take toll on environment, localities
Article talks about CBRE and Scannell
What is nearby?
This image is from Scannell/Langdon's 2nd Application's Wetlands Assessment.
Note the project's proximity to Watrous park, the schools and the neighborhood.
Note the boxes that talk about the vernal pools and the plans for each.
While the proposed million square foot building and surrounding facility would be built on private property, it will be located on wetlands.
The massive truck/logistics terminal will be located near Geer Street homes, Watrous Park, WIS, CMS, playing fields, and CREC school in Rocky Hill.
Carbon Footprint & Sustainable Energy
​Has the town asked the developer to include sustainable energy options in their plans?
Has the town of Cromwell ever thought about the carbon footprint of Project Highlands? Of how that will add to Cromwell's carbon footprint?
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More Pollution?
Will Cromwell's water be contaminated?
Cromwell's Protected Aquifer from Town of Cromwell MapGeo
The map below indicates 76 Geer Street in blue outline where the building will be placed. The pinkish markup is the west side of the protected aquifer for our tap water.
Will the buildings paved area contamination get in the Town's tap water?
Will the nearby air be safe?
CMS and WIS and
RH's CREC school are
within a few hundred feet of the
Project's Geer Street Building
The sports fields nearby will be subject to the same pollution as the schools.
The difference is the sports are being played outside in the fields for extended periods of time.
Remember the polluting trucks from above?
They will be on Cromwell's roads.
They will be near the building on Geer Street.
They will sometimes be idling for quite a while.
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The schools will have to contend with the trucks' diesel fumes. This would be in the form of particulate pollution in the air as well as on the ground for these schools as well as the park,
sports fields
and nearby residents.
Watrous Park
Tennis courts - Splash pad - Play ground - Pavilion -
Mountain bike trails - Skate Park - Cross Country team practice
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Related Findings
A 2021 report from the local air quality monitoring management office found that people living within half a mile of warehouses had higher rates of asthma and heart attacks than residents in the region overall.
Project Highlands would likely have the effect of “unreasonably polluting, impairing or destroying the public trust in the air, water or other natural resources of the state,” quoting from the CT
Environmental Policy Act.
A study by the California Environmental Protection Agency found an increase in potential cancer risk from diesel particulate matter “at 800 feet from the center” of a distribution facility with a fleet of 40 trucks equipped with refrigeration units.
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Another study titled “Residential Proximity to Environmental Hazards and Adverse Health Outcomes” found a link between living near a number of high-emission land uses, including industrial sites, and adverse pregnancy outcomes, childhood cancer, and other health conditions.
Please Ask Yourself:
Should IWWA grant this special permit?
Will the Building be occupied??
There has been a lot of on-line chatter about large online companies cutting back on the number of square feet of warehouse/depot space they are using due to on-line sales being down. Shown below are articles, posts, tweets indicating this fact.
Amazon officially has too much industrial space –– a hangover from spending billions from 2020 and 2022 to double its fulfillment and distribution space across the country.
South Windsor CT Back-out
Amazon had signed a long-term lease at the 182,000-square-foot facility at 240 Ellington Road. The company’s signage was already prominently displayed at the entranceway and on the building.
Anyone need a brand new, purpose built mega-warehouse, now standing empty? Interesting that the Amazon signs have been removed from the mega-warehouse at 240 Ellington Road in South Windsor, CT.
Original
signage
?
Current
signage situation
The Gardner's farms on Geer Street have provided countless people with great views of nature. They have been good neighbors all through the years. They certainly deserve to sell their land. Respectfully, the concern is with what is being presented by the Applicant on this property.
This website raises a lot of questions!
Our goal is to make sure the information presented by the developer to the town agencies and commissions is honest, complete, accurate, and forthcoming. We also want to make sure that the questions raised above are addressed properly, and if applications are approved, that there are conditions in place (in writing) to protect our schools, parks, and
surrounding residential neighborhoods.
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