Rapid pace of green space losses show towns don't recognize urgency of climate crisis
Connecticut towns are letting green space be destroyed, making our climate crisis worse. Towns need to update their plans to reflect the rapidly worsening climate crisis.
In one year, a mature tree absorbs more than 48 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere and releases a day's supply of oxygen for four people. Every acre of woodland absorbs about 6 tons of CO2/year, or the amount of CO2 produced by driving 26,000 miles.
In one year, a mature tree absorbs more than 48 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere and releases a day's supply of oxygen for four people. Every acre of woodland absorbs about 6 tons of CO2/year, or the amount of CO2 produced by driving 26,000 miles.
130 Acres: large-scale apartment, industrial project in East Granby
Details at https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/new-jersey-developer-eyes-large-scale-apartment-industrial-project-in-east-granby East Granby's POCD is from 2014.30.3 Acres: Massive warehouse proposed in South Windsor
The site plan application of property owner UW Vintage Lane II LLC of Glastonbury calls for building the warehouse on 30.3 acres bordered by Talbot Lane and Governors Highway. The properties slated for development are at 5 Talbot Lane, which is 1.29 acres; 25 Talbot Lane, 2.28 acres; 475 Governor’s Highway, 3.87 acres; and 551 Governor’s Highway, 22.93 acres. UW Vintage Lane acquired the parcels in March 2021 for a total of $2 million.More at https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/massive-warehouse-proposed-in-south-windsor
93 acre "tract of fields and woodlands": 2000 Day Hill Road, Windsor
Even if Chewy doesn't move in to a new mega-warehouse in Windsor, a developer still plans to construct the 750,000-square-foot building and seek different tenants. Builder Northpoint plans to build on a 93-acre tract of fields and woodlands north of Great Pond, about a half-mile from the Day Hill Road and Route 187 merger. Construction could start this summer.
See Developer going ahead with mega-warehouse in Windsor (Hartford Courant, 4/29/22)
Previously: Chewy Proposes Massive warehouse in Windsor on 93 acres (Hartford Business Journal, 12/21/21)
See Developer going ahead with mega-warehouse in Windsor (Hartford Courant, 4/29/22)
Previously: Chewy Proposes Massive warehouse in Windsor on 93 acres (Hartford Business Journal, 12/21/21)
280 acres over last 13 years in South Windsor
South Windsor residents call for 1 year moratorium on new warehouses: In the past 13 years, the town has approved seven major warehouses — Coca Cola, Aldi’s, FedEx, Amazon, Mobis, Vistar and Home Depot — that created 2.2 million square feet of buildings covering more than 280 acres.653 acres: Windsor's Great Pond Village
From the Hartford Business Journal: "Windsor’s Great Pond Village mixed-use development experienced more than a decade of delays and many plan changes before its first phase debuted in 2019, with the opening of the 230-unit Preserve at Great Pond luxury apartments complex.
Now, additional development on the 653-acre site is accelerating, with construction set to begin this June on a 750,000-square-foot distribution center; fill-up/retail plaza; and $15 million in road and infrastructure work."
ABB Combustion Engineering spent about $150 million cleaning the site, which had once served as a testing facility for nuclear propulsion as well as a center of nuclear fuel production for submarines. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection last November signed off on cleanup of what had been the most heavily-polluted sections of the property, Adam Winstanley said. That allows build-out of Great Pond’s northern portions, including a 93-acre site where Massachusetts-based NorthPoint Development will build the planned distribution center.
Now, additional development on the 653-acre site is accelerating, with construction set to begin this June on a 750,000-square-foot distribution center; fill-up/retail plaza; and $15 million in road and infrastructure work."
ABB Combustion Engineering spent about $150 million cleaning the site, which had once served as a testing facility for nuclear propulsion as well as a center of nuclear fuel production for submarines. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection last November signed off on cleanup of what had been the most heavily-polluted sections of the property, Adam Winstanley said. That allows build-out of Great Pond’s northern portions, including a 93-acre site where Massachusetts-based NorthPoint Development will build the planned distribution center.
40 acres: Hamilton Road, Windsor Locks
From the Hartford Business Journal: New Jersey-based real estate developer Silverman Group is aiming to break ground this year on a 250,000-square-foot real estate building on land it purchased just outside of Bradley International Airport in December.Silverman paid Hamilton Sundstrand Corp. $1.9 million for a roughly 40-acre property cut through by Hamilton Road in Windsor Locks. Brokerage firm CBRE is currently marketing a 199,000-square-foot building on 14 acres on the west side of Hamilton Road.
8.7 acres: Bloomfield
https://www.ctclimatenews.org/post/what-climate-crisis-another-developer-wants-to-bulldoze-a-ct-forest-for-a-warehouse
Why this is a problem, and the solution.
As the pace of climate crisis quickens, it is increasing urgent to avoid destroying and degrading green space, where trees, plants and soil absorb the CO2 that contributes to climate change, provide cooling shade, promote water quality, and provide habitat for wildlife. Saving every bit of green space helps, as does letting land revert to its nature state. In one year, a mature tree absorbs more than 48 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere and releases a day's supply of oxygen for four people.Every acre of woodland absorbs about 6 tons of CO2/year, or the amount of CO2 produced by driving 26,000 miles. Residents need to speak up to their local governments, as in South Windsor where the town Planning & Zoning Commission adopted a one-year moratorium on applications for warehouses and freight terminals. A town resident initiated the pause.
Spread the word. Take a few minutes to make a difference. Go to your town's website, find the contact info for your town council and town planning & zoning board, and email them to say preserving green space is a critical priority in addressing the climate crisis. It will make a difference.