TOWN OF MANSFIELD APPROVES STORRS CENTER WETLANDS PLAN, COMPLETES REQUIRED LOCAL ZONING APPROVALS
Author: LeylandAlliance LLC and Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc.
10/01/2007
On October 1, 2007, the Town of Mansfield’s Inland Wetlands Agency unanimously approved Storrs Center Alliance’s application for an Inland Wetlands license. Along with the Planning and Zoning Commission’s approval for the Storrs Center Special Design District, this new approval means that all local zoning approvals for Storrs Center are in place. Several state and federal applications have been submitted and are currently under review.
The Inland Wetlands Agency’s approval is a key step in the development of Storrs Center due to the project’s proximity to wetlands areas and a proposal to fill 0.28 acres of wetlands. The loss of those 0.28 acres is mitigated by proposed improvements to 3.22 acres of wetlands elsewhere on the site. The Agency found that the developer’s plans “represent an improvement to those important wetlands areas which are now partially degraded.” A new drainage system proposed in the license application will limit the amount of sediment entering the wetlands, which will provide long-term improvements to the surrounding wetlands.
Prior to the wetlands plan approval, Agency members and Partnership staff toured the project site with Dr. Michael Klemens and Dr. Michael Klein, consultants to Storrs Center Alliance, who put together the application to the Agency. The group observed areas of wetlands that have suffered from years of stormwater runoff and sedimentation. The effects of the degradation were visible as the sediment had built up significantly in some areas.
On this tour, the group also had the opportunity to view the vernal pool, another significant piece of the application. A vernal pool is a contained area that seasonally fills and drains itself with rain water. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, “vernal pools are critical spawning areas for the marbled salamander and other amphibians.” The vernal pool located within the Storrs Center site’s conservation area is a breeding area for wood frogs. The Storrs Center plan does not permit development within 100 feet of the vernal pool but does allow for walking trails within the 20+ acre conservation area. As a condition to the Agency’s approval, approval will be required for any walking trails, which must avoid proximity to the vernal pool (with the exception of an overlook area).
Other conditions to the license include a provision that planned sedimentation and erosion controls be in place before construction begins and removed following construction completion, that drainage retention areas be “completed promptly and at early stages of each phase for which they are required,” and that the conservation area be properly marked. According to Macon Toledano, project manager for master developer LeylandAlliance, “this is an important approval that substantiates the effort and time we have spent working with the community to develop a workable plan to integrate sustainable land use practices and long term stewardship of valuable conservation areas into the future of Storrs Center.”
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