April 9, 2021

State Government Interference in Local Affairs and Construction in Thomaston

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I’m writing to let you know about important legislation recently discussed in the legislature’s Planning and Development Committee, which includes several bills aimed at upending local control of land use decisions.

Among the bills is S.B. 1024, An Act Concerning Zoning Authority, Certain Design Guidelines, Qualifications of Certain Land Use Officials and Certain Sewage Disposal Systems. This proposal is built on recommendations from Desegregate CT, a special interest group that recently emailed its supporters to notify them that S.B. 1024 contains “ALL of the reforms” the group has advocated for since it was created last summer.

The need for more diverse housing in Connecticut needs to be addressed, however the individual needs of each community (including cities, suburbs, and rural areas) must be considered. The effect of this legislative push will:

Eliminate local control over certain types of housing (location-based, accessory, 2+ units) and allow certain development to occur without a local public hearing;
Create new mandates (and costs) including training staff;
Affect the environment and drinking water statewide by ignoring the responsibilities of municipalities who host waterways, open space;
Impact traffic flow, parking demands;
Drive up residency at a rate which outpaces the capacities of local resources/services such as police, fire, and schools;
Overburden the public water and sewer infrastructure (if available);
Require access to public transportation (if available.)

Watch a recent legislative forum on the topic here.

When it comes to development, it’s local residents—not the state or special interest groups—who know what works best for our communities. I oppose this legislation and will continue to speak out to help block more state interference in local affairs and preserve the “home rule” structure that makes each of our municipalities so unique.

Scheduled Two-Month Closure of Route 8 Exit 38 Southbound Off-Ramp in Thomaston

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the scheduled two-month closure of the Route 8 Exit 38 southbound off-ramp in Thomaston beginning on Monday, April 19, 2021. The closure is necessary to facilitate stage 2 construction activities associate with the project to rehabilitate bridges 03350 and 03351 carrying Route 8 over the Naugatuck River.

Traffic Information:

Beginning Monday, April 19, 2021, the Route 8 southbound Exit 38 off-ramp will be closed for approximately two months. A detour route will be posted to direct traffic. Motorists are directed to use Exits 40 and 39 for Route 8 southbound.
Beginning Monday, April 19, 2021, lanes closures may occur on Route 8 north and southbound from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM during the day and from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM at night for the purpose of stage 2 construction activities.
The contractor will be allowed to halt Route 8 north and southbound traffic for a period not to exceed 10 minutes to perform necessary work for repairs and rehabilitation of the existing bridge superstructures between 12:01 AM and 5:00 AM on all non-Holiday days.

DOT Project No. 0140-0172 was awarded to Northern Construction Services, LLC at a cost of $9,199,817.30 on June 18, 2018, and is scheduled to be completed by June 13, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

TELEPHONE: 860-594-3003

WEBSITE: www.ct.gov/dot

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/CTDOTOfficial

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns pertaining to state government at John.Piscopo@housegop.ct.gov or (800) 842-1423. You can also follow my legislative activity by visiting my website, www.reppiscopo.com, or on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/reppiscopo.

Sincerely,

State Representative John Piscopo