Red Alert for Newtown
On April 7, Wharton Equity Partners will present a proposal to the Newtown Planning & Zoning Commission for a 345,000 square foot warehouse on 100 acres of wetlands property at I-84, Exit 9. Wharton is a New York City developer of big box distribution facilities and “last mile” warehouse properties. Their proposal provides for 76 truck bays, parking for 50 truck trailers and 360 employee automobiles.
The Wharton proposal has already been approved by Newtown’s Inland Wetlands Commission. If it’s approved by Planning & Zoning, it will be a long-term disaster for Newtown and our neighborhood!
Here’s why the Wharton proposal matters to you:
Truck emissions are environmentally dangerous: they are major producers of nitrous oxides (NOx) and particulate matter. They contribute to ambient levels of toxins known, or suspected as human or animal carcinogens. Exposures to these toxins can cause neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive and/or immune system damage. Truck concentrations at warehouse facilities exacerbate the environmental risks.
Scientific evidence asserts seniors and children are especially susceptible to long-term damage from the noxious oxides in truck emissions.
According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, a disproportionate amount of NOx emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles is emitted during the low-speed operation characteristic of urban driving. Vehicle operations at idle, or at speeds of less than 25 mph result in NOx emissions more than five times the certification limit for the average heavy-duty vehicle.
Operations at the warehouse will be non-stop. Trucks will be arriving and departing day and night, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Truck and automobile traffic to the warehouse will bring round-the-clock noise and pollution to our increasingly congested roads.
How we are affected
Seniors at Liberty at Newtown, The Woods, and the Maplewood Assisted Living facility, as well as families with children, all live within one mile of the proposed warehouse site. The new Educational Playcare Center for young children is across the street. As the most vulnerable segment of Newtown's population, seniors and children will be at risk from the noxious emissions arising from the warehouse site. All of Newtown will be affected by the heavy duty truck traffic the Wharton proposal will generate. Every time I-84 bogs down, traffic spills onto local roads. Ours will invariably be affected by heavy truck traffic. Without the collective impact a protest can bring, the Wharton proposal will be approved!
What you can do
Attend the Planning & Zoning hearing on April 7, 7 p.m. at the Fairfield Hills Municipal Center.
Make some noise! Raise your voice in opposition. Be prepared to state your concerns at the hearing.
Bottom line
Wharton is a powerful company represented by Hartford lawyers who’ll offer a slick presentation designed to persuade P&Z of the proposal’s virtues, all the while minimizing the environmental danger to our community. If the thought of a sprawling, truck-based, noxious and noise emitting warehouse facility in the heart of a Newtown’s residential neighborhoods is repugnant, raise your voice in opposition! Your help is needed to stop a project that doesn’t belong in the heart of a residential area.
There’s strength in numbers! Collectively, we stand a chance to deny Wharton’s application. Every voice counts!