Connecticut State Council on Environmental Quality

Environmental Monitor
August 7, 2018
  
  1.  NEW! Property Acquisition, Orange
  1.  NEW! Town Center Water Supply, Phase Three,  Marlborough
  2.  NEW! Emergency Interconnection between Ledyard WPCA and SCWA Water Systems, Ledyard
  1.  POST-EIE PROJECT CANCELLATION Orange Railroad Station, Orange
  1.  Former University of Connecticut Greater Hartford Campus, West Hartford
The next edition of the Environmental Monitor will be published on August 21, 2018.
Subscribe to e-alerts to receive an e-mail when the Environmental Monitor is published.
 
Notices in the Environmental Monitor are written by the sponsoring agencies and are published unedited. Questions about the content of any notice should be directed to the sponsoring agency.
Scoping Notices

"Scoping" is for projects in the earliest stages of planning.  At the scoping stage, detailed information on a project's design, alternatives, and environmental impacts does not yet exist.  Sponsoring agencies are asking for comments from other agencies and from the public as to the scope of alternatives and environmental impacts that should be considered for further study.  Send your comments to the contact person listed for the project by the date indicated.
 The following Scoping Notice has been submitted for review and comment.
1. Notice of Scoping for Orange Property Acquisition

Municipality: Orange

Address of Possible Project Location: 28 Salemme Lane (aka 0 Marsh Hill Road)

Project Description: The Town of Orange has requested state assistance in order to acquire a single parcel of privately-owned property accessed at the end of Salemme Lane between West Campus Drive and the Metro-North new haven railroad, in order to encourage construction of an Orange train station and to provide future opportunities for transit-oriented development, new business opportunities, and transit options for residents of the Town. The property is located at 28 Salemme Lane (also known as 0 Marsh Hill Road).

State assistance would enable the Town's acquisition of the aforementioned property, which was identified by the Department of Transportation (DOT) as the only feasible parcel to locate a future train station platform within the Town. The Town plans to continue efforts to encourage construction of a train station in Orange and has established a Transit Oriented Development District overlay zone in the area, wherein the property lies.

In exchange for this assistance, the Town will grant the State an easement for ingress and egress over a portion of the property that would be needed to construct and access a future Orange railroad platform. The access easement will remain in place for a period of twenty-five (25) years, after which, it will expire if no railroad station platform is developed by the State.

As the sponsoring agency for this project, the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) is seeking public input on the potential for significant impacts associated with the Town's acquisition and intended use of the reference property.

Project Map:  Click here to view a map of the project area.

Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on:  Thursday, September 6, 2018.

Any person can ask the sponsoring agency to hold a Public Scoping Meeting by sending such a request to the address below.  If a meeting is requested by 25 or more individuals, or by an association that represents 25 or more members, the sponsoring agency shall schedule a Public Scoping Meeting.  Such requests must be made by Friday, August 17, 2018.

Written comments and/or requests for a Public Scoping Meeting should be sent to:

Name: Mr. Zack Hyde
Agency: Connecticut Office of Policy and Management
Address:
450 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
Fax: 860-418-6467
E-Mail: Zack.Hyde@ct.gov

If you have questions about the public meeting, or other questions about the scoping for this project, contact:

Name: Mr. Zack Hyde
Agency: Connecticut Office of Policy and Management
Address:
450 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: 860-418-6261
Fax: 860-418-6467
E-Mail: Zack.Hyde@ct.gov
 
 
Post-Scoping Notices: Environmental Impact Evaluation Not Required
 
This category is required by the October 2010 revision of the Generic Environmental Classification Document for State Agencies. A notice is published here if the sponsoring agency, after publication of a scoping notice and consideration of comments received, has determined that an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) does not need to be prepared for the proposed project.

 

The following Post-Scoping Notices have been submitted for publication in this edition.
1. Post-Scoping Notice for Marlborough Town Center Water System Phase Three

Municipality where project will be located:  Marlborough

CEPA Determination: On June 19, 2018, the Department of Public Health (DPH) published a Notice of Scoping to solicit public comments for this project in the Environmental Monitor.

Based on the DPH’s environmental assessment of this project which includes comments provided by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection  (DEEP) dated July 12, 2018 and correspondence between the Town of Marlborough  dated June 27, 2018 and the Office of Policy and Management dated June 29, 2018, it has been determined that the project does not require the preparation of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) under CEPA. The DPH will coordinate with the Town of Marlborough to ensure that the recommendations received during the Scoping period are implemented.

The agency's conclusion is documented in a Memorandum of Findings and Determination and an Environmental Assessment Summary.

If you have questions about the project, you can contact the agency at:

Name:

 Mr. Eric McPhee

Agency:
Department of Public Health
Drinking Water Section

Address:
410 Capitol Avenue, MS #12DWS
PO Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134-0308

Phone:

 860-509-7333

Fax:

 860-509-7359

E-Mail:

 dph.sourceprotection@ct.gov


What happens next: The DPH expects the project to go forward. This is expected to be the final notice of the project to be published in the Environmental Monitor.

2. Post-Scoping Notice for Emergency Interconnections between Ledyard WPCA Water System and SCWA Water Systems

Municipality where project will be located: Ledyard

CEPA Determination:   On May 8, 2018, the Department of Public Health (DPH) published a Notice of Scoping to solicit public comments for this project in the Environmental Monitor. 

Based on the DPH’s environmental assessment of this project which includes comments provided by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) dated June 8, 2018 and a response provided by Groton Utilities on behalf of the City of Groton dated August 2, 2018, it has been determined that the project does not require the preparation of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) under CEPA. The DPH will coordinate with the City of Groton to ensure that the recommendations received during the Scoping period are implemented.

The agency's conclusion is documented in a Memorandum of Findings and Determination and an Environmental Assessment Summary.

 If you have questions about the project, you can contact the agency at:

Name:

 Mr. Eric McPhee

Agency:
Department of Public Health
Drinking Water Section

Address:
410 Capitol Avenue, MS #12DWS
PO Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134-0308

Phone:

 860-509-7333

Fax:

 860-509-7359

E-Mail:

 dph.sourceprotection@ct.gov


What happens next: The DPH expects the project to go forward. This is expected to be the final notice of the project to be published in the Environmental Monitor.

 

After Scoping, an agency that wishes to undertake an action that could significantly affect the environment must produce, for public review and comment, a detailed written evaluation of the expected environmental impacts. This is called an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE).

 

The following EIE Notice has been submitted for publication in this edition.
1. Post-EIE, Notice of Cancellation of Orange Railroad Station Project

Municipality where project was proposed: Orange

Project History: The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) originally proposed to construct a new commuter railroad station along the New Haven Line in Orange, Connecticut through a public-private partnership agreement that would have included a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) component constructed by a private developer.  An Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) was published and subsequently noticed in the Environmental Monitor on May 16, 2017. A public hearing for the EIE was conducted on June 20, 2017. 

Since that time, however, CTDOT has determined that it is not in a financial position to participate in the project as proposed in the EIE, and is canceling the project.  If CTDOT were to initiate the project again in the future, an updated environmental analysis and public scoping process would take place at that time, as appropriate.  CTDOT's conclusion, as stated above, can be found in the Memo of Findings and Determination.     

Any questions can be directed to:

Name: Kevin Fleming, Transportation Planner II

Agency: Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Policy and Planning

Address: 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06131

E-Mail: Kevin.Fleming@ct.gov

Phone: (860) 594-2924

State Land Transfer Notices
Connecticut General Statutes Section 4b-47 requires public notice of most proposed sales and transfers of state-owned lands. The public has an opportunity to comment on any such proposed transfer. Each notice includes an address where comments should be sent. Read more about the process.

 

The following State Land Transfer Notice has been submitted for notice in this edition.
1. Notice of Proposed Land Transfer of the Former University of Connecticut Greated Hartford Campus

Complete Address of Property: 1700 and 1800 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT

Number of acres to be transferred:  57.46 acres, total. 1700 and 1800 Asylum Avenue consist of 23.56 acres and 33.9 acres, respectively.

Click to view map of property location

Description of Property

Brief Description of Historical and Current Uses: Before 1964 the property was undeveloped.  It was acquired by the State for the University of Connecticut. The University of Connecticut operated its Greater Hartford campus on the property from the mid-1960’s until the fall of 2017 when the campus moved to downtown Hartford. UConn Law School shared the campus from 1964-1984.

The 1700 Asylum Avenue location consists of parking for the campus.  It also includes recreational ball fields leased to the Town of West Hartford.

 

The five buildings and main portion of the campus are located at 1800 Asylum Avenue. Currently all of the buildings are vacant and unused except that the UConn Agricultural Extension Center’s Hartford County office currently operates in the small building at 1800 Asylum Avenue (The “IT Center” shown on Figure 2 below).  That function will be relocated by the fall of 2018.

 

The property to be transferred contains the following:

  x    Buildings in use
  x  Buildings not in use
   Wooded land
   Nonagricultural fields
   Active agriculture
  x  Paved areas
  x  Ponds, streams or other water
 Water Supply:  x   Public water supply     On-site well       Unknown 
 Waste Disposal:   x  Served by sewers    On-site septic system   Unknown

Click to view aerial view of property

The property is in the following municipal zone

     Not zoned 
 x  Residential
   Industrial
   Commercial
   Institutional
   Other:  
   Not known 


Special features of the property: 1800 Asylum Avenue includes four academic/education buildings and a facilities support building (approx. 193,000 square feet, total).

 

Value of property: The University of Connecticut and the proposed recipient entered into a purchase and sale agreement for a sale price of $5.2 million.  

 

Links to other available information: Additional information about the property can be found at the University’s web site.  The link is: http://updc.uconn.edu/west-hartford/ 

 

Type of Sale or Transfer:

x  Sale or transfer of property in fee 
   Sale or transfer of partial interest in the property (such as an easement). 


Proposed recipient, if known: Seven Stars Cloud Group, Inc.

Proposed use by property recipient: The University has been informed by the proposed recipient that intends to use the property for office use, likely using some or all of the existing buildings.

The agency is proposing to transfer the property with the following restrictions on future uses:

 x   If checked, the state is not currently proposing restrictions on future uses. 

Reason the State of Connecticut is proposing to transfer this property: The University of Connecticut has relocated its Greater Hartford campus operations from the West Hartford location to its new facilities in Downtown Hartford. The University has no further use for the property.

Comments from the public are welcome and will be accepted until the close of business on: August 16, 2018

Comments may include information that you have about significant natural resources or recreation resources on the property, as well as your recommendations for means to preserve such resources.

Written comments* should be sent to:

Name:

Paul Hinsch

Agency:

Office of Policy and Management

Address:

450 Capitol Avenue MS#52 ASP

Hartford, CT 06106-1379

E-Mail:

paul.hinsch@ct.gov

*E-Mail submissions are preferred.

What Happens Next

When this comment period closes, the proposed land transfer can take one of three tracks:

1.   If no public comments are received, the sale or transfer can proceed with no further public comment and no further notices in the Environmental Monitor, unless the Department of Environmental Protection elects to conduct a review of the property (see #3).

2.   If public comments are received, the Office of Policy and Management will respond to those comments.  The comments and responses will be published in the Environmental Monitor.  Fifteen days after publication of the comments and responses, the proposed sale or transfer can proceed, unless the Department of Environmental Protection elects to conduct a review of the property (see #3).

3.   If the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) elects to conduct a further review of the property, it may submit to the Office of Policy and Management a report with recommendations for preserving all or part of the property.  The report and recommendations will be published in the Environmental Monitor, and there will be a 30-day public comment period.  The DEP will publish its responses to any comments received and its final recommendation about the property in the Environmental Monitor.  The Office of Policy and Management will then make the final determination as to the ultimate disposition of the property, and will publish that determination in the Environmental Monitor.  Fifteen days after publication of that final determination, the sale or transfer can proceed.

 

 

The Adobe Reader is necessary to view and print Adobe Acrobat documents, including some of the maps and illustrations that are linked to this publication. If you have an outdated version of Adobe Reader, it might cause pictures to display incompletely. To download up-to-date versions of the free software, click on the Get Acrobat button, below. This link will also provide information and instructions for downloading and installing the reader.

Button - Get Adobe Reader Download the free Acrobat Reader!Access.Adobe is a tool that allows blind and visually impaired users to read any documents in Adobe PDF format.  For more information, read the product overview at Adobe.com.