With approvals from the Middlebury Conservation Commission and the Middlebury Water Pollution Control Authority ("WPCA") secured, the proposed distribution center at 1535 Straits Turnpike is on the agenda for the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting tonight (Thursday, 12/5) at 7:00pm ET. The meeting will be held at Shepardson Community Center (1172 Whittemore Road, Middlebury, CT), Room 26. We encourage all interested Middlebury residents to attend this important meeting.
As a reminder, the developer intends to construct a truly massive trucking facility in the heart of one of Middlebury's oldest residential neighborhoods (see the partial rendering above). At 171,600 square feet (780' x 220'), the warehouse building alone would cover nearly four acres, not including other built surfaces such as an access road from Straits Turnpike "suitable for tractor trailer traffic in two directions" constructed through Long Swamp Brook, loading docks for dozens of tractor trailers, and parking for more than 130 passenger vehicles. At 35 feet high, the proposed distribution center would tower over the surrounding residences and Memorial Middle School, raining down light, noise, and air pollution around the clock. Obviously, an industrial facility of this type would push our local roadways well past the breaking point, rendering the Straits Turnpike / Middlebury Road intersection all but impassable due to a constant stream of tractor trailers.
In addition to attending the Thursday, 12/5 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, we encourage all Middlebury residents opposed to this ill-conceived project to write an email to the Planning & Zoning Commission and the following elected officials voicing your concerns.
- Planning & Zoning Commission - pandz@middlebury-ct.org
- Edward St. John (First Selectman) - firstselectman@middlebury-ct.org
- Jennifer Mahr (Selectman) - jmahr@middlebury-ct.org
- J. Paul Vance (Selectman) - jpvance@middlebury-ct.org
Additionally, please consider joining the Preserve Middlebury email listserv to receive more frequent communications concerning proposed development at 124 Kelly Road and 1535 Straits Turnpike by emailing preservemiddlebury@gmail.com.
-Preserve Middlebury