FARMINGTON, Conn.— A plan to yank a crumbling fishing pier from the Farmington River and replace it with an 83-foot ADA-compliant boardwalk sailed through the Inland Wetlands Commission last night, capping a three-hour meeting that also advanced three smaller residential projects.
Big Picture, Up Top
- Vote: Unanimous approval (8-0) after a public hearing.
- Location: River Road parcel #8738, Unionville bend.
- Highlights:
- Remove two deteriorating concrete block walls, restore 50 feet of bank with 5-to-6-foot boulders.
- Construct a 6-ft-wide boardwalk and a cantilevered 16×16-ft platform six feet above the 100-year flood line.
- Net cut of 206 cubic yards to the FEMA floodway.
- Wheelchair users reach the river directly from the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail.
How We Got Here
Chair Ned Stachin opened the May 21 session at 7 p.m. with all voting members present and one rookie alternate—Elena Carvath—sworn in with a smile. Several commissioners disclosed they pay dues to the nonprofit Farmington Land Trust, then said the $35 checks would not cloud their judgment. No one objected.
Residential Quick Hits
- 317 Meadow Road – Larry Webster Associates won approval to swap a slab-on-grade porch for a two-story crawl-space addition. Erosion controls? Check. Sidewalk? Not needed. Vote: 8-0.
- Sizer Garage, Talcott Notch – Owners Lauren and Chris Sizer can scrap a 1906 lean-to and plant a two-car garage near a drainage pond, after promising silt fence and straw wattles. Vote: 8-0.
- High Street Driveway Expansion – Ryan and Emily Kalina got the nod to carve one permeable-paver parking spot and a retaining wall beside a town storm pipe. Site walk waived; significance ruled low. Vote: motion to continue design review passes; final vote expected next month.
The Riverfront Centerpiece
Kate Grady-Benson, executive director of the Farmington Land Trust, called the 2001-era fishing pier “a rebar sculpture nobody asked for.” Consultant Matt Sanford of SLR walked commissioners through a 24-slide deck:
- Access Path – Existing gravel ramp narrowed to curb wash-outs.
- Bank Stabilization – Two-to-one rock slope locked against ledge, built behind the old block wall, which will serve as a temporary cofferdam before removal.
- Structure – Timber framing transitions to steel columns near the cantilever; piers pinned into bedrock. Engineer Kishore Patel added a 40 percent debris load factor to satisfy commissioners worried about bumper-car logs.
Support letters rolled in from the Farmington River Watershed Association, the Wild & Scenic Committee, and New Horizons disability housing. One trail user beamed via Zoom: “It’ll be as transformative as the Rail-Trail bridge.”
Conditions Attached
The commission required on-site monitoring by SLR engineers, work only in “compatible weather,” and town-staff sign-offs at every milestone.
What’s Next
- Construction Season: Target start late summer; riverbank work timed for low-flow window.
- Kalina Project: Final approval slated for June 4 after staff reviews a tree-removal map.
Sponsor Break ☕️📦
The Farmington Mercury is kept crisp and dry by Farmington Storage—155 Scott Swamp Road, Farmington, CT 06032, 860-777-4001. Climate control so good we call it museum air. Need extra room for those oversized commission packets? We’ll keep them safer than a wetland behind straw wattles—no permit required.
About the Author
Jack Beckett files copy fueled by a dangerous espresso-to-blood ratio courtesy of a battered French press. When the caffeine kicks, he roams archives deeper than the Farmington floodway and surfaces with news that actually matters—or at least amuses.
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This article, “Farmington Wetlands Panel Clears Riverfront Overhaul—and Three Backyard Fix-Ups,” by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
“Farmington Wetlands Panel Clears Riverfront Overhaul—and Three Backyard Fix-Ups”
by Jack Beckett, The Farmington Mercury (CC BY-ND 4.0)