Business & Tech

Guilford Resident: Don't Allow Another Massive Propane Storage Facility In Town

Do you think a propane storage, transfer and retail facility should be built at 2772 Post Road?

The following is a letter by Guilford Resident Anthony Cafiero:

Dear Mr. Mazza,

Congratulations upon your recent election to a second term as Guilford’s first selectman. I hope and trust that your health has improved since your surgery and wish you a full and speedy recovery.

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As you know, the JJ Sullivan Company has proposed a site plan to build a bulk propane storage, transfer and retail facility at 2772 Post Road – the Old Montana Horse Farm.  Speaking on my own behalf as well as several hundred others in the West End section of town, it boggles my mind that Guilford already has a sizable bulk propane storage facility on the East end of town which in and of itself dwarfs the limits on similar facilities in neighboring towns. I would ask why Guilford – a largely agricultural community – would not have limits on the size and locations of these industrial terminals. Neighboring towns have had the foresight to cap bulk propane terminals at 12,000 and 20,000 gallons respectively while to my knowledge, Guilford has no limit on the size of these tank storage farms. Furthermore, it has been said that the West End of Guilford is “less densely populated” than the site on which JJ Sullivan has been denied a permit – their existing River Street Headquarters which I would challenge. We have more than 200 homes which are within the one half mile “blast and evacuation” zone from the Montana Property – all of which have been contacted via direct mail, door to door neighborhood mobilization, email, and several group meetings, and are vehemently opposed to this facility for numerous reasons:

·       Significant property value decline

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·       Noxious odor from tank venting

·       Industrial tanker traffic – 10,000 gallon trucks making deliveries

·       Lack of an evacuation plan and route

·        Death and property damage from any potential traffic accident or tank leak – Guilford had an evacuation due to a tanker rollover on Soundview Ave in November 2006. Then 1st Selectman Balestracci indicated that the town “was very lucky” not to have had an explosion (See Guilford Planning and Zoning Commission minutes April 18th 2012 pages 8 and 9).

We have hosted Mr McGlone at one of our recent meetings who is a proponent of having this site plan approved. Mr McGlone indicated that without such business on the West End, Guilford property taxes are subject to increase two or three fold as spending has spiraled and Guilford must increase its tax base accordingly with new business. While nobody in our organization disagrees that Guilford needs to work on its budget position, it defies credulity that any future business would want to locate to the West end of Guilford and be exposed to the risks highlighted above. We would argue that should JJ Sullivan be granted permit to build this tank farm, the West End of Guilford would be rendered “un-developable”.

In fact, a property directly adjacent to the subject site which is also for sale had an offer to purchase from a church group who withdrew their bid just last week after realizing that they might be neighbors to a bulk propane terminal. Additionally, with the recent rezoning of the Sullivan Farm property to TS2

just West of Montana and on the North side of Rt 1, we are watching to see if Tractor Supply Co will move forward with their interests before this matter is resolved.

Researching Mr McGlone’s claim that more business is necessary in Guilford to keep the towns mill rate low, the following from the New Haven Book of Business 2014 book of facts clearly indicates otherwise. Note that the town of Orange with three times the commercial/industrial density of Guilford has a mill rate of 30.50 compared to Guilfords at 23.06.

Town         Mill Rate '12-13         Grand List '11      % res/% comm.indust           expenses        % of exp for educ.

Branford       $25.60          $3,432,581,052             75%/14%                         $90,797,169                57%

Guilford          23.06             3,488,262,731             85%/ 7%                           80,546 758                67%

Madison         20.39             3,425,700,292              89%/5%                           71,456,711                72%

Orange          30.50              1,742,909                    68%/ 21%                        56,938,073                 66%

Additionally, we are concerned with the way in which the process to allow bulk propane storage has been handled relative to “table five”. While there are some who believe that town employees have engaged in a “back room deal” to encourage JJ Sullivan to drop their appeal to the 2012 River Street application for bulk propane, it can only be said that we find it unusual at best that at the October 2 2013 P&Z meeting whereby an amendment to 273-21C was proposed to add wording “in addition, the bulk storage and retail sale of propane on parcels of land containing less than 4 acres in area and located west of West Lake Ave and South of Route 1 in the C-D zone is permitted”  both Mr Kral and Mc McGlone felt the need to go on record (see page 10 of the meeting minutes).

Mr Kral “ I want to make it clear that there was no endorsement by me to the applicant ( JJ Sullivan) either implied or explicit”

Mr McGlone “there have been several meetings over time, many sites were talked about to collectively come up with a site that would allow them (JJ Sullivan) to continue the 90 year old business. Sullivan is at a competitive disadvantage to others in town. They have gone through other options. Did I endorse it? It was more a matter of default”

As I suspect you know, the wording for this amendment was approved and upon inspection of the properties in the C-D zone, South of Rt 1, West of West Lake Ave having less than 4 acres of land, we find it remarkable that only one parcel meets this criteria – the old Montana Horse Farm at 2772 Post Road.

Having reviewed this apparent “spot zoning” with our attorney, we find that Guilford has not met its obligation under Connecticut State Law to notify neighbors within 100 yards of a proposed zoning change with a certified letter and as such we are considering an appeal of this decision as well as any other legal action(s) that may apply to the way in which table five was amended and the zoning for this parcel has been handled.

Lastly – we have been in contact with Holiday Touch Corporation – owners and operators of the Gables at Guilford who are monitoring this matter as closely as we ourselves are. Managers at the Gables have petitioned their residents about bulk propane at 2772 Post Road and we have eighty signatures in opposition – all of whom are concerned about blast and evacuation of which there is no way out. I would gladly share this list of seniors who indicate that they indeed vote in town elections should you wish to have a copy for your files.

In closing, we on the West End of Guilford offer no ill will or resistance to the RESPONSIBLE development of this side of town, but feel that this application is truly unsuitable for the building site in question as well as for the character of Guilford. We find it ironic at best that we pass the sign below which is a quarter mile from the proposed industrial tank farm that visitors and residents of Guilford will have to greet them to our community should this application be approved. Your written reply to this correspondence and indication as to what you - our elected first selectman will do on our behalf, and what measures you will take to defeat this application through your appointees on IWC and P&Z will be appreciated. 

Respectfully submitted,

Anthony Cafiero.

Do you agree with Cafiero? Or do you think the facility should be built?


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