New Britain City Council Members Oppose Proposed Fienemann Road Travel Center

Four New Britain City Council have formally stated their opposition to a controversial travel center and gas-diesel facility proposed on a wetlands parcel near Batterson Pond on Fienemann Road just across the town border in Farmington.

In a joint statement submitted during a June 3 public hearing, the Council President, Ald Francisco Santiago (D-5), the Council Majority Leader, Ald John McNamara (D-4), Ald Luz Ortiz-Luna (D-4) and Ald Roy Centeno (D-5) urged the Farmington Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commission to reject the application by Noble Gas Real Estate Holdings.

“We oppose the application of Noble Gas Real Estate Holdings on 8261 Fienemann Road,” Ward 4 and Ward 5 alders said. “The use of a portion of 86 acres of watershed land at the New Britain-Farmington town line poses significant environmental risks in the Batterson Pond area at the same time Farmington, Hartford and New Britain have come together for the restoration of Batterson Park as a public park and recreation area

The Council members added, “While infiltration systems have been proposed to prevent harmful run-offs from the newly created impervious surface being created by the project, they do not mitigate the risk We agree with the intervenor’s documentation and analysis of that risk, including pollution risks to sensitive plants and animals, an insufficient buffer between the impervious surface and wetlands and the threat of hydrocarbon contamination.”

The June 3 meeting marked the fourth hearing on the proposal for 8261 Fienemann Road, an 86-acre watershed parcel at the New Britain-Farmington town line. The land is currently owned by the City of Hartford’s Municipal Employees Retirement Fund (MERF) and was previously held in a protected park trust.

The proposed development has drawn intense scrutiny over its environmental impact and its proximity to residential neighborhoods. While Noble Gas recently scaled back the project—dropping a planned restaurant and reducing the sizes of a parking lot and warehouse—opposition has only grown. By the close of a previous hearing on May 20, the commission had received pushback from more than 40 individuals, including an intervenor petition from neighboring property owner Stefani Roman.

“While infiltration systems have been proposed to prevent harmful run-offs from the newly created impervious surface… they do not mitigate the risk,” the alders wrote. Representatives for Noble Gas have argued the development will impact less than five percent of the 86 acres and that “jellyfish infiltration systems” will adequately manage stormwater and protect nearby vernal pools.

Beyond the wetlands, city leaders and residents are raising alarms about the project’s direct impact on New Britain. The site plan requires linkage to New Britain’s sewage and water systems and features an access road on Slater Road.

The Alderpersons called this an “unacceptable encroachment” into a densely populated residential zone that sits close to elementary and middle schools, as well as the Batterson Pond boat landing. During earlier testimony, local teacher Barbara Maselek warned that, “A truck stop and warehouse generating heavy diesel traffic, noise, and air pollution immediately threatens the health and safety of those students and families.”

Critic also point out that he proposed truck stop also conflicts with major regional conservation efforts. Over the past two years, Farmington, Hartford, and New Britain have collaborated—backed by a $10 million state appropriation—to restore Batterson Park as a public recreation area. Opponents argue that an industrial warehouse and fueling station completely undermine this revitalization.

“Based on both Farmington’s and New Britain’s Plans of Conservation and Development the proposed travel center at Fienemann Road is an unwise development and not in the best interests of either community,” the Alderpersons concluded, noting that approving the application would set a dangerous precedent for industrial intrusions into protected or residential areas.

The Council members point out that the Noble Gas project would be, “in a wooded area that is zoned residential by the town and that is owned by the City of Hartford’s Municipal Employees Retirement Fund (MERF) and previously was held in a protected park trust by the City of Hartford.”

The Farmington wetlands commission has continued the hearing to June 17, when a decision on the application could be made. If approved, the project will still require a zoning variance to allow commercial use in a residential zone, which will be considered by the town’s Plan and Zoning Commission at a scheduled July 27 hearing.