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HomeMy WebLinkAbout23SITE8-669Rte163 ApplicantCmntsLtr 06262023 westonandsampson.com Offices in: MA, CT, NH, VT, NY, PA, MD, VA, NC, SC & FL 712 Brook Street, Suite 103, Rocky Hill, CT 06067 Tel: 860.513.1473 June 26, 2023 Ms. Liz Burdick Director, Department of Land Use & Development Town of Montville 310 Norwich-New London Turnpike Montville, CT 06382 Re: Response to Site Plan Application Comments Montville Landfill Solar Project 669 Oakdale Road, Montville, CT 06353 Dear Ms. Burdick: Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. (Weston & Sampson), on behalf of VCP Montville LF, LLC (Verogy), is submitting this letter in response to comments received from CLA Engineers, Inc. (CLA) on June 22, 2023, regarding a Site Plan Application (Application No. 23SITE8) previously submitted for the above-mentioned project. The review comments from CLA are listed in bold below followed by our response in italics. Please note that any plan updates will be addressed once we receive full comments back from the Department of Land Use & Development, and a revised drawing set will be submitted to you in advance of the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on July 25, 2023. 1. The lease area must be shown on the plans. The leased area will be shown on the forthcoming revised drawing set. The leased area will be indicated on Sheet C101. 2. The test hole data must be shown on the plans. The test pit locations will be shown on the forthcoming revised drawing set. 3. The design must strictly follow CT DEEP guidelines regarding solar arrays. VCP Montville LF, LLC held a pre-application meeting with CTDEEP prior to preparation of applicable permits for the project. The proposed work is in full compliance with the guidelines that CTDEEP indicated are applicable to this development. Please note that the majority of requirements listed in Appendix I of the CTDEEP General Permit for the Discharge of Stormwater and Dewatering Wastewaters from Construction Activities are not applicable to this project. The proposed solar development does not include tree clearing, new Best Management Practices, or other developments that would alter runoff characteristics at the Site. Stormwater runoff calculations have been provided indicating there will be no change in runoff patterns resulting from the proposed development. 4. The plans are preliminary in nature and refer to the final installation as “to be determined”. The installation is on Town land and above the transfer station, and the specifics of the installation should be shown. We assume this comment references Note 2 on Sheet C101 which states the “foundation locations and array orientation are subject to change based on final design”. The final size of the array, limit of work, and area of development will not change. Minor adjustments may be necessary with final engineering and procurement as Verogy plans to obtain all applicable permits prior to finalizing the vendors that may provide the final equipment (e.g., foundations and racking); however, all final construction plans will be submitted to the Town building department for final approval. 5. A third party inspection is recommended for monitoring E&S installation. Periodic inspections of erosion and sedimentation controls will be done during construction in accordance with all applicable requirements. Inspections will be performed by the construction contractor and/or on-Site field engineer. Page 2 westonandsampson.com Offices in: MA, CT, NH, VT, NY, PA, MD, VA, NC, SC & FL 6. The drainage calculations must describe flow off the leased area slopes, especially toward the Transfer Station. The Site Plan Application submission includes a Stormwater Report dated June 2023. This report includes runoff calculations for the leased area. As stated in the report, there are no change in runoff patterns resulting from the proposed development; therefore, there will be no change in stormwater runoff flows towards the transfer station or other adjacent areas. Operations at the Transfer Station will not be adversely affected by this development and Verogy will work with the Transfer Station staff to minimize disruption during construction. 7. A concrete washout basin must be shown on the plans. The concrete washout basin will be shown on the forthcoming revised drawing set. The concrete washout basin location will be indicated on Sheet C101. 8. A repair detail for the Transfer Station paving must be shown on the plans. A pavement repair detail will be included on the forthcoming revised drawing set. The disturbed limits of the paved transfer station access road will be repaired with new asphalt paving to match the existing surrounding pavement thickness. 9. The underground electrical conduit must stay outside the fenced area. The alignment of the subsurface electrical conduit has been adjusted and will be shown on Sheet C101 of the forthcoming revised drawing set. The conduit alignment has been shifted northeast outside the fence alignment. Please note this results in a minimal increase to the temporary disturbance within the 50-foot wetland upland review area. An Inland Wetlands Application Form was previously submitted to the Town of Montville Inland Wetlands Commission on June 6, 2023. In this application, the area of temporary disturbance in this portion of the Site was noted to be approximately 531 square feet (sf). This requested change to the electrical conduit alignment will result in approximately 940 sf of temporary disturbance (409 sf increase). We will notify the Town of Montville Inland Wetlands Commission accordingly. 10. Note 1.4 on Sheet C001 must be defined. Note 1.4 on Sheet C001 has been updated to reference specific geotextile products and will be shown on the forthcoming revised drawing set. Proposed geotextile locations are shown on the construction details on Sheets C501 and C502. 11. A construction schedule must be included on the plans, and also a note regarding coordination with the operation of the transfer station. The construction schedule is dependent on permit approvals through the Town and CTDEEP. At this time, construction is anticipated to start in the Fall of 2023 and be completed by the Spring of 2024. All construction work and work hours will be coordinated with the Town of Montville Department of Public Works Director prior to construction to ensure there will be no impacts to the transfer station operations. A suggested sequence of construction is included on sheet C001 of the forthcoming revised drawing set. Should you have any questions, please contact me at (978)532-1900 or Bukowski.Rob@wseinc.com. Sincerely, WESTON & SAMPSON ENGINEERS, INC. Robert J. Bukowski, P.E. Practice Leader