- NEW! Connecticut Readiness Center, Putnam
- Stony Brook North and South Transmission Main Rehabilitation, Montville and Bozrah
- NEW! Windham Intermodal Transportation Center, Windham
- NEW! Nathan Hale Inn, University of Connecticut, Storrs
Special Notices
These are notices of State actions with potential environmental importance that are required to be posted by special legislation or are posted at the request of State agencies.
1. Notice of Availability Long Island Sound Blue Plan
The Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) hereby gives notice that a draft of the Long Island Sound Blue Plan, together with the Long Island Sound Resource and Use Inventory and other supporting documents, are available for public review and comment.
The Blue Plan is a marine spatial planning process for Long Island Sound that was authorized by Section 25-157t of the Connecticut General Statutes (Connecticut Public Act 15-66). The intent of the Blue Plan is to plan and account for both the existing human uses of the Sound and the habitats and natural resources needed for marine life to thrive in the Sound. Doing so will help ensure that: (a) the existing human uses and the habitats and natural resources and features of the Sound are protected and (b) any new and existing uses of the Sound will be compatible with each other and with the Sound’s habitats and natural resources.
The Blue Plan will not create new regulations; rather it will provide greater clarity and guidance for how decisions will be made under specified existing regulatory programs. The Blue Plan's policies will provide the basis for existing permit programs identified by statute to achieve clearer and more certain protection of the economic, cultural, and ecological values of Long Island Sound, including existing traditional human uses and ecologically significant areas. As such, the Blue Plan will serve as a guide to show what the applicable state and local permit decision-making processes will consider and be based upon. This will provide new and better insight for stakeholders and applicants up-front.
The draft Blue Plan, together with the complete Long Island Sound Resource and Use Inventory and additional supporting and background information is available at http://www.ct.gov/deep/lisblueplan and in hard copy upon request to the address below.
INFORMATION REQUESTS/PUBLIC COMMENT
The success of the Blue Plan depends on the involvement of the general public and all stakeholders to make sure the Plan reflects the knowledge, perspectives, and needs of everyone whose lives are touched by Long Island Sound. Interested parties are invited to review and comment on the draft Blue Plan and any other Blue Plan-related topics. Please submit written comments to LIS Blue Plan, Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, Connecticut 06106-5127 or by email to DEEP.BluePlanLIS@ct.gov on or before June 21, 2019.
Questions may be directed to David Blatt at (860) 424-3610 or to DEEP.BluePlanLIS@ct.gov.
/s/Brian P. Thompson, Director
Land & Water Resources Division
Bureau of Water Protection & Land Reuse
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request an accommodation contact us at (860) 418-5910 or deep.accommodations@ct.gov
"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.
1. Notice of Scoping for the Environmental Assessment for the Connecticut Readiness Center in Putnam, CT
Connecticut Army National Guard/Connecticut Military Department
Municipalities where the Proposed Action might be located: Putnam, CT
Address of Proposed Action Location: 376 and 390 Pomfret Street (Route 44) Putnam, CT 06260
Project Description: In compliance with the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Connecticut Army National Guard (CTARNG) will prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic impacts of creating a new Readiness Center in the town of Putnam, CT to support the CTARNG 643rd Military Police. The Putnam Readiness Center (PRC) will consist of an assembly hall for Guardsmen to utilize, along with equipment storage areas and parking lots. These facilities will restore the training, administrative, and logistical requirements the CTARNG has lacked in northeast Connecticut for over a decade.
The PRC is planned to be constructed on land owned by the State of Connecticut and previously occupied by the John N. Dempsey Center. See Existing Location figure attached. The Proposed Action for the PRC includes an approximately 45,000 square foot Readiness Center, a parking lot for the CTARNG organization and two privately-owned vehicle parking lots. See attached Proposed Action figure. The Proposed Action is configured to allow for a 150-foot Antiterrorism Force Protection (ATFP) buffer surrounding the readiness center, per Department of Defense requirements.
Alternative designs for the PRC include: 1. A design similar to the Proposed Action that does not allow for a 150-foot ATFP buffer, 2. A design that allows for a 150-ATFP buffer but requires wetland impacts, 3. Construction of the readiness center in a different location, and 4. Not constructing a new readiness center.
Project Maps: Existing Location and Proposed Action figures are attached.
Input Request: The EA identifies, documents, and evaluates the potential environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic effects of the analyzed alternatives in accordance with 32 Code of Federal Regulations Part 651, Environmental Analysis of Army Actions, Council on Environmental Quality Regulations, and the ARNG National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 Handbook. The NEPA protocol for an EA requires a public input period of 30 days prior to the Final EA. Any public comments received by the CTARNG will be addressed and incorporated into the Final EA.
Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on: May 16, 2019.
Public Scoping Meeting: 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: April 30, 2019.
Written comments, questions and/or requests for a Public Scoping Meeting should be sent to:
Mr. Robert Dollak, Environmental Program Manager
Connecticut Army National Guard
360 Broad Street, Hartford, CT 06105
(860) 524-4945
1. Post-Scoping Notice for Stony Brook North and South Transmission Main Rehabilitation
Municipalities where project will be located: Montville and Bozrah
CEPA Determination:On September 18, 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 a review of comments provided by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) dated October 18, 2018 and a response to the DEEP comments from Norwich Public Utilities dated March 13, 2019, 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 Norwich Public Utilities 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:
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Name: |
Mr. Eric McPhee |
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Agency: |
Department of Public Health
Drinking Water Section
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Address: |
410 Capitol Avenue, MS #12DWS
PO Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134-0308
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Phone: |
860-509-7333 |
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Fax: |
860-509-7359 |
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E-Mail: |
DPH.SourceProtection@ct.gov |
Inquiries and requests to view and or copy documents, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, must be submitted to the sponsoring State Agency:
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Name: |
Mr. Av Harris |
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Agency: |
Department of Public Health |
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Address: |
410 Capitol Avenue, MS #13CMN Hartford, CT 06134-0308 |
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E-Mail: |
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Phone: |
860-509-7286 |
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 Windham Intermodal Transportation Center
Municipality where project will be located: Windham
CEPA Determination: On 11/28/18 the Department of Economic Community Development (DECD) published a Notice of Scoping to solicit public comments for this project in the Environmental Monitor. During the scoping period, DECD received comments from OPM,DPH,DEEP, and SHPO; Please see all links within the Environmental Assessment Checklist and Memo of Findings. The DECD has taken those comments into consideration and has concluded that the project does not require the preparation of Environmental Impact Evaluation under CEPA.
If you have questions about the project, you can contact the agency at:
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Name: |
Ryan Acosta |
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Agency: |
Department of Economic Community Development |
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Address: |
450 Columbus Boulevard South Tower (4th floor); Suite #5 Hartford CT, 06103 |
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Phone: |
860-500-2392 |
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E-Mail: |
ryan.acosta@ct.gov |
What happens next: The DECD 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).
1. Notice of Proposed Land Transfer of the Nathan Hale Inn on the University of Connecticut Storrs Campus
Complete Address of Property: The Nathan Hale Inn, 855 Bolton Road, Storrs, CT
Number of acres to be transferred: 2.405 acres of developed land (via a ground lease), containing an existing building (via a fee transfer). Click to view map of property.
Description of Property: Existing multi-story hotel building and associated developed land, including parking areas, sidewalks and driveways, within the University of Connecticut campus.
Brief Description of Historical and Current Uses: The building and site have been continuously used as an on-campus hotel through a ground lease with the University for close to 20 years. Having continuously owned the land, the University acquired the hotel building in 2015 under a right of first refusal when the previous private owner sought to sell it.
The property to be transferred contains the following:
Buildings in use
Buildings not in use
Wooded land
Nonagricultural fields
Active agriculture
Paved areas
Ponds, streams or other water
Water Supply:
| Public water supply |
On-site well |
Unknown |
Waste Disposal:
| Served by sewers |
On-site septic system |
Unknown |
Click for aerial view of property
The property is in the following municipal zone
Not zoned
Residential
Industrial
Commercial
Institutional
Other:
Not known
Value of property: $8,300,000
Links to other available information:
Type of Sale or Transfer:
Sale of existing building in fee and ground lease of underlying UConn land
Sale or transfer of partial interest in the property (such as an easement).
Proposed recipient, if known: GSCT Owner LLC
Proposed use by property recipient: No change in use
The agency is proposing to transfer the property with the following restrictions on future uses:
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 has determined that it is in the best interest of the University community to transfer the hotel building to an owner experienced in hotels, while remaining in control of the underlying land.
Comments from the public are welcome and will be accepted until the close of business on: May 3, 2019.
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:
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Name: |
Paul Hinsch |
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Agency: |
Office of Policy and Management |
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Address: |
450 Capitol Avenue MS#52 ASP |
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Hartford, CT 06106-1379 |
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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.
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