Wetlands panel OKs Old Mystic house project
Work will include removal of invasive trees and plantings within 100-foot buffer
— The Inlands Stonington Wetlands and Watercourses Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to approve an application for work in an upland review area at 16 Smith St.
The application by Coast Development Group of Newport proposed ecological improvements to the property through the removal of invasive trees and plantings from within the 100-foot buffer outside the wetlands. The work is in preparation for construction of a single-family home in the Old Mystic neighborhood.
“In my opinion, the proposal we have is a good one,” said commission Chairman Lee Reichart.
“I appreciate the feelings of the other constituents within the town of Stonington and perhaps in Groton due to the nature of where the Mystic River basin is located, and I appreciate all the effort that people put into this,” said Reichart.
The application was approved with a number of stipulations, including eliminating the use of fertilizers or lime, if possible, within the upland review area; minimizing the use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides in the areas outside of the upland review area; requirement that stumps of any trees removed be left in place, that soil disturbance should be minimized in the upland review area; and that the work cannot begin until May.
“I appreciate the interest that has been generated by this project,” said commission member Dennis Unites. “It has provided us with a better base of information than we have seen on a lot of other projects that have come before us.”
A public hearing on the application was held in January and continued to February after the commission determined it needed time to evaluate a report and testimony from a wetlands scientist who reviewed the plans associated with both the initial and new applications at the request of abutting property owner Jonathan Fontanella.
An initial application was denied in September after neighbors testified that Old Mystic contains an inland freshwater marsh that is the largest in southeastern Connecticut and is crucial in preventing widespread flooding in the village. They said it also filters groundwater that drains into the Mystic River and provides habitat for birds and wildlife.
The northern part of that wetland extends up into properties on the south side of Smith Street, where 16 Smith St. is located.
“Beyond the wetlands that have been delineated in the southeast corner of the site, there are no observable wetland soils, in fact they are defined as upland soils,” said Unites.
He further noted that flooding concerns were not within the purview of the commission, but that he believed that any increased flooding could be mitigated.
The application was approved with a number of stipulations, including eliminating the use of fertilizers or lime, if possible, within the upland review area; minimizing the use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides in the areas outside of the upland review area; ... and that the work cannot begin until May.