P&Z Allows CL&P to Use the Stevenson Lumber Co. Property

As a storm knocked out power for many town residents on July 26, the Planning & Zoning Commission was approving the regulation amendment and special exception permit needed for Connecticut Light & Power to use the Stevenson Lumber Co. property as a staging area for a line improvement project. The utility expects to lease five acres at 1585 Monroe Turnpike for three years.

The power company wants to replace power transmission towers dating back to the 1940's with new monopoles as part of a line improvement plan going from the Stevenson section of Monroe to Watertown.

It will use two existing buildings and parking on the site and store transmission lines, insulators and other hardware in an operation involving 15 trucks, according to David Bjorklund of Spath-Bjorklund Associates, which was hired by the applicant.

Before a special permit could be decided upon, Regulation 12-1-RAA had to be amended to allow the use in a DB-2 District.

According to the meeting minutes:

The Commission decided that they would change the wording in the text to be more restrictive stating that what should be stored on the site should not be visible from the road and will be to the Commission’s liking.

The sentence in the regulation stating “No equipment or storage shall be visible from any public road or residential property and there shall be no refuse on visible site”, will be changed to, “Equipment vehicles and materials stored on site should be screened from public roads and residential properties to the satisfaction to the Planning and Zoning Commission and there should be no refuse visible on site”.

The commission approved the revised text amendment unanimously, 5-0.

Then Commissioner William Porter made a motion to approve the special permit application and it was seconded by Commissioner Karen Martin. The commission approved it unanimously with conditions.