P&Z to hold Southford Road project hearings

#MiddleburyCT #SouthfordPark #P&Z

This is the latest representation of the buildings proposed for the former Timex property, now known as Southford Park. Public hearings for three P&Z applications for this property will be held October 5. (SouthfordPark.com artwork)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Following the August 3, 2023, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) meeting, Drubber Associates on August 23 finalized its acquisition of the former Timex property at 555 Christian Road. It combined that property with the 20-acre 764 Southford Road property owned by a family member and submitted a new map to the town. The new map divides the property into Lot A, 77 acres that includes the 20-acre piece and 57 acres of the former Timex property, and Lot B, 34.9 acres along the frontage on Christian Road and part of the frontage on Southford Road.

Then, at the September 7, 2023, P&Z meeting, its attorney, Ned Fitzpatrick, presented three new applications on behalf of the new Southford Park LLC. The three applications – a text change regarding height in the LI-200 zone, site plan approval of two buildings totaling 50,000 sq. ft. less than first proposed, and a special exception for an excavation and grading permit – are scheduled for public hearings at the October 5 meeting at 7 p.m. in the Shepardson Community Center auditorium at 1172 Whittemore Road. The agenda for that meeting was not published as of press time, but the town website, middlebury-ct.org, does have a Zoom link posted for those who may be unable to attend in person.

Since the applications were accepted at the September 7 meeting and a decision had not yet been made on the Middlebury Small Town Alliance’s (MSTA) application for a town-wide moratorium, the project would not have been subject to the moratorium even if it were approved. MSTA President Jennifer Mahr withdrew the application, stating on Facebook on September 8 it was withdrawn because the project would not have been subject to a moratorium and reports by the town attorney and town planner raised serious concerns about how the moratorium would have been implemented.

Mahr said the MSTA will be petitioning to force P&Z to a super-majority vote on the application to increase the height and also would oppose a proposed conservation easement Southford Park LLC is seeking for the Lot B acreage. Whether the conservation easement will be granted or not remains to be seen.

Southford Park launched a full-fledged marketing campaign shortly after acquiring the property, first putting up the website, southfordpark.com, and then mailing a four-page color brochure to Middlebury residents. Titled “Southford Park, Reimagining 77 acres in Middlebury,” it stresses the limited visibility of the proposed buildings, refers to what originally was called a distribution center as “industrial flex space” and touts the economic impact and job opportunities of the project.

The site plan shows two buildings, just as the first did, with the larger building the same size, 669,500 sq. ft., or 12.4 acres, in size and the smaller at 130,000 sq. ft., or 3 acres, in size, 50,000 sq. ft. smaller than first proposed.

The brochure photos show dotted lines across the fully leafed out deciduous trees in the photos indicating where the buildings will be behind the tree line. It says they “will be largely obscured from the road.” A reader pointed out that when those trees drop their leaves in the fall, the views likely will be quite different from those in the brochure.

The brochure also assures that all traffic leaving the site will turn right onto Southford Road, “ensuring that trucks are routed directly to and from I-84.” At previous public meetings, residents have expressed concern there is nothing to keep westbound trucks from going off I-84 at exit 17 and then proceeding through town to get to the site.

The brochure and website also fail to address residents’ concerns about air quality, which diminishes in areas with increased diesel engine emissions. Nor do they address potential noise issues that concern residents. Perhaps Fitzpatrick will address these issues at the October 5 hearings.