Efforts to build a hotel on a plot of land on Gooding Avenue southeast of Broadcommon Road have been going on for nearly a decade. Until now, appropriate permitting was denied by …
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Efforts to build a hotel on a plot of land on Gooding Avenue southeast of Broadcommon Road in Bristol have been going on for nearly a decade. The most recent set of revised plans were submitted in November 2023, and in a letter dated Dec. 6, 2024, The Department of Environmental Management’s (DEM) Freshwater Wetlands Program told petitioner KenDan, LLC that their proposed construction of a 76-room hotel was approved.
The letter, signed by Martin D. Wencek, Environmental Scientist IV, Office of Water Resources, Freshwater Wetlands Program, noted that his office received 35 letters expressing concern about the project's impact, but determined that those comments “do not constitute an objection of a substantive nature” so a public hearing is not required.
“The Program has determined that this project does not represent a random, unnecessary, or undesirable alteration of freshwater wetlands,” wrote Wencek. “Therefore, this Program issues this permit to alter freshwater wetlands subject to all controlling Rules and the Terms Conditions set forth herein.”
Then as now, neighbors have concerns
Proponents of a hotel in town cite revenue lost throughout the summer season when guests at weekend weddings and other events are forced to leave town to find overnight accommodations. Opponents of this hotel do not disagree that the Town would benefit from more available beds for overnight guests, they just have serious reservations about the Gooding Avenue site.
One of those opponents is the Bristol Conservation Commission. The commission’s chairman, Tony Morettini, wrote a letter to DEM dated Dec. 7, 2023 which reads in part, “The extensive engineering work proposed, in our view, doesn't mitigate wetlands impact, it effectively destroys that portion of the wetlands it will be constructed in. It is also not clear that, with storm frequency and intensity increasing, it will sufficiently handle extreme events. The potential for the man-made system to be regularly overwhelmed would create an ongoing hazard for downstream properties.”
Tricia Chalmers of Bristol Woods Drive has also publicly spoken out against this development. “It’s going to decimate the wildlife habitat,” she said at a 2021 Planning Board hearing on the project. “It’s going to increase traffic at a dangerous intersection at Gooding and Broadcommon, and I’m concerned about its future use.”
“I’m an environmentalist. Enough is enough.”
Likewise, Ted Spinard, whose Dartmouth Street neighborhood is prone to flooding, has spoken out against projects that would impact the Silver Creek watershed on several occasions. “We’re very concerned about the flooding issue getting worse,” said Ted, after the 2021 meeting. “Anyone who has lived here for any length of time knows that land doesn’t drain. It’s hard as rock in summer and saturated in winter. Their infiltration rate is not reflective of the soil. What’s the downstream impact?”
"I'm not an engineer, I'm not a hydrologist — others that have obected to this permit are — but I'm just a guy who cares about the environment like the rest of the members of the Commission," said Morettini. "Obviously we're disappointed."
Conditions guiding the project
The permit is good for one year, and requires the developers to adhere to several requirements, including using materials that are clean and free of matter that could pollute any freshwater wetland.
Temporary erosion and sediment controls must be properly installed at the site prior to construction, and maintained in an effort to minimize soil erosion and to prevent sediment from being deposited in any wetlands not subject to disturbance under this permit.
The owner and contractor are also obligated to install, utilize, maintain, and follow all best management practices detailed or described on the approved site plans in the construction of the project to minimize or prevent adverse impacts to any adjacent freshwater wetlands and the functions and values provided by such wetlands.
All plantings of shrubs, trees or other forms of vegetation as shown or detailed on the approved plans must be installed as soon as possible after completion of final grading; a compliance inspection will follow. Buffer zone plantings of trees and shrubs proposed between the project and any adjacent freshwater wetland areas, except for necessary replacement, must be allowed to develop naturally without being subjected to mowing or manicuring. The project must employ an environmental consultant to monitor and ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the permit; written certification from a registered land surveyor or engineer certifying that the stormwater drainage system has been constructed in accordance with the site plans must be presented.
“In permitting the proposed alterations, the Department assumes no responsibility for damages resulting from faulty design or construction,” the letter concludes. “This permit does not remove your obligation to obtain any local, state, or federal approvals or permits required by ordinance or law and does not relieve you from any duties owed to adjacent landowners with specific reference to any changes in drainage.”
The letter notes that aggrieved parties may request an adjudicatory hearing in writing within 30 days, stating clearly the specific issues in dispute, but given that the Freshwater Wetlands Program has already determined that a hearing is unnecessary, any request must be accompanied by an adjudicatory hearing fee of $2000.
Though DEM has ruled in favor of the application to alter wetlands, the next steps for the proposed hotel development will be determined by the Town of Bristol, once Community Development Director Diane Williamson has an opportunity to review the file and see where the project left off after the last time it was shelved. "Right now it's too soon to say what's next," said Williamson. "We are just hearing this decision too."
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