Project Highlands
The Application Process
Application 21-06
The private sales to procure the necessary land
occurred prior to the application process for this project.
The map indicating this property is below:
The land
As part of the application, a Wetlands Assessment report was submitted by the applicant.
Oct 2021 IWWA Meeting
The application was discussed at the October 6, 2021 IWWA meeting. It was determined that there would be significant impact so a public hearing was planned. The meeting minutes including the discussion are below
The IWWA asked for a peer review of Scannell’s plans and assessments that were before their commission.
This review was completed by LandTech in Westport, CT, and it pointed out missed testing, incomplete data, and parts of Scannell's plans that were “not up to par.”
Dec 2021 IWWA Meeting
Planning and Zoning
If and when the application is approved in IWWA, an application will be submitted to P&Z by Scannell. In this commission, the planning and zoning regulations will guide the process.
Nov 2021 IWWA Meeting
This was the first public hearing meeting. Our group members got up and spoke about how certain parts of the plans didn't comply with certain IWWA regulations.
Jan 2022 IWWA Meeting
Feb 2022 meeting was cancelled.
On Jan 28th, Scannell withdrew their current application #21-06 from Inland Wetlands. Time was running out as the Public Hearing had to close by Feb 12th.
Scannell had some work to do on the plans as a result of the Peer Review. They weren't able to do that and have time to present new plans and answer questions at the public hearing.
The Town will get a new application when Scannell finishes doing what they could have done in the first place.
21-06 Project Highlands - The Plan
This is the site plan - lots of details!
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The 21-06 critical facts:
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1.1 million sq ft building
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500 Trailer Parking spots
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384 Employee parking places
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178 Loading docks
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10 Acre Stormwater Pond
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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.
Please note the following:
1) The road is located on a curve in Geer St
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.
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What a mess!!!
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.
384 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 image is from Scannell/Langdon's Wetlands Assessment. Note the project's proximity to the park and the neighborhood.
Zoom in to see the details
What is nearby?
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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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?
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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CMS and WIS and
RH's CREC school are
within a few hundred feet of the
Project's Geer Street Building
The schools will have to contend with the trucks' diesel fumes. This would be in the form of particulate pollution in the air for these schools
as well as the park, sports fields
and nearby residents.
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.
Watrous Park
Tennis courts - Splash pad - Play ground - Pavilion - Mountain bike trails - Skate Park - Cross Country team practice
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The west side of the park will have a very high sound wall and/or
a high chain link fence with
two or three rows of barbed wire for the full length.
And don't forget-
the air and noise pollution 24/7
Related Findings
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.
This project has 178 loading bays and 500 semi parking spaces!
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.
Won't the tax revenue help Cromwell?
It is being said that Cromwell will benefit from the new tax dollars.
But will there be a tax abatement?
Town Hall has granted 7 to 10 year tax abatements for other developers.
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That's a lot of tax dollars to lose!
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Is there going to be increased town spending due to this project?
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Will the Fire Department need new equipment to handle a fire emergency in the building?
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Will the local roads require more frequent repairs due to truck shortcuts using local roads?
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Will the town have to take on new maintenance functions for the new pond, the road, or any other part of the project?
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Will the the possibly abatement-reduced Tax Revenue cover any new expenses?
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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. This includes some that are endangered and disturbing them is not allowed by state law without a permit from IWWA in Cromwell. Should IWWA grant this permit?
This website raises a lot of questions!
Our goal is to make sure the information presented by the developer to the town agencies and committees 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.
Public Awareness Campaign
We have placed nearly 2000 door flyers giving key information about this project.
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We have installed 170 yard signs with this website's QR code on each sign.
Professional Assistance
We have retained a skilled land use attorney who is currently working on our behalf.
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We are actively working on hiring experts to speak at our meetings.
Attend Cromwell Town Meetings
An IWWA meeting is scheduled at 7pm on Wed Jun 1st. There will be a presentation of Scannell's second application #22-02 and the public hearing should open.
The Gardners, with their farms on Geer St, have been good neighbors all through the years. We have certainly enjoyed the views of the fields but they certainly deserve to sell their land. Respectfully, the concern is with what is being presented by the developer on this property.
Request a Lawn Sign:
Opposition Petition
Contact our group
Help save the heart of Cromwell
All proceeds will go directly toward the cost of legal fees and other professional assistance.
All individuals who are volunteering their time and effort toward this cause are doing so at will, and will receive zero compensation from this fundraising page.
Yard signs and door flyers are being paid for by a private neighborhood group.
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