MONROE, CT — Bruce C. Mondo’s family has lived in town since 1941 and owns Mondo Construction Co. and Mondo Septic and Drainage on their 4.8-acre property at 1603 Monroe Turnpike, near Roosevelt Drive (Route 34). It’s bounded by the Maybrook Railroad Co. to the south and the Halfway River to the north.
The site is bisected by the discontinued Old Webb Road and the Northeast Utilities Electric Transmission line easement, which restricts 1.3 acres from being built upon.
Mondo and his son, Bruce Jr., are petitioning the Monroe Planning and Zoning Commission to establish a Special Development District (SDD) that would allow flexibility in the Business-2 zone for the construction of a retaining wall and creation of outdoor storage areas for an excavation contractor’s establishment.
During a hearing on Sept. 4, Donald W. Smith Jr., an engineer hired by the applicants, said their proposal is “the first step” toward remediating environmental and zoning violations on the site.
“The violations will be addressed with the detailed plans we put forward,” Smith told the commission.
Town Planning and Zoning Administrator Kathleen Gallagher told commissioners the Mondos are proposing a new parking lot in an area that is already disturbed by the storage of earth materials, which are both wetlands and zoning violations, because of the close proximity to the Halfway River.
The activity is 100 feet from the river, when it is supposed to be a minimum of 150 feet, she said.
Another violation is a storage area in back of one of the two buildings.
Gallagher said the applicant went to a subcommittee meeting to see if they could combine the remediation of the violations with a new proposal for the site, which commissioners were open to.
She expressed her opinion that the Mondos are trying to legalize the current use of their property.
Smith said the Inland Wetlands Commission had voted for a favorable referral of their application by a vote of 4 to 1, but had to redo the meeting because of a Zoom issue.
Old Webb Road
In addition to the retaining wall and creation of outdoor storage areas, the Mondos are proposing the improvement of Old Webb Road, widening and paving it and installing drainage for better access to the northern portion of the parcel.
Neighbors, William and Geralyn Wiley, live on Old Webb Road, which was discontinued by the town in 2020. The couple has a legal agreement with the Mondos, who must allow them access to the roadway and are responsible for the removal of snow and any fallen trees or other debris that could block access.
The Wileys had written a letter saying the application has “the appearance of spot zoning,” but their main concern is that the agreement for Old Webb Road remains intact.
During the hearing, Smith assured the commission it will remain and the Wileys would have access during and after construction.
Eversource Energy also has access to the property to maintain its electric transmission lines. Smith said he believes the company is responsible for some of the violations.
The Mondos’ plan also includes additional landscaping and new LED, dark-sky compliant lighting.
Public comment
During the public comments portion of the hearing, Michele Soltisiak of Cottage street said she thinks the retaining wall would be too close to the river. Though the water is contaminated, she noted trout are known to be there.
She also asked where vehicles would be maintained due to close proximity to the river. Smith later told the commission vehicles will continue to be worked on in one of the two existing buildings on the property.
The main thing that bothers Soltisiak is the perception that business owners are getting special treatment from the town’s land use commissions.
Soltisiak said she has seen two instances of businesses with wetlands violations being allowed to move forward with applications, while agreeing to remediate the violations after an approval.
Meanwhile, she said townspeople who have infractions must “pay through the nose” to replant trees, replant shrubs and put in natives.
“I don’t see the same being done to businesses,” she said. “They are held to a lesser standard, though they have deeper pockets — and that is really, really sad to me. I don’t like that.”
Soltisiak said the Mondos have had violations on their property since 2016 and wondered what has been happening for the past eight years.
“If I were a resident who did this, you would make me plant trees,” she said, “and it bothers me that they aren’t held to the same standards.”
Paula Jelly, of Cottage Street, expressed concerns about the lighting. She said businesses on the Stevenson Lumber property use fixtures that are not dark sky compliant, which point downward rather than projecting light out of up.
She said dark sky complaint lighting is important for wildlife, as well as not being a nuisance to neighboring property owners.
Jelly asked what assurances there can be that the Mondos’ dark sky lighting will be actual dark sky lighting. “Thank you very much and I wish the Mondos success with their project,” she said.
Samantha Theoret, of Sunrise Terrace, also expressed concern over lighting.
Mark LaMont, who lives on Downs Road with his wife Peggy, questioned whether a proposal for an expanded storage yard would create jobs as the applicant said, and in light of the past violations how the Mondos can be trusted.
He also asked whether a lighting study was done and how it would impact neighboring property owners, what the conceptual drawing looks like from street level and curb appeal, and about the impact on flooding with the “denuding” of the Mondos’ property.
Good neighbors
John Kimball, of Easton, whose family has property at the former Stevenson Lumber site, spoke highly of the Mondos, whose property is next door.
“I think it’s admirable the commission is working with the Mondo family to try and rectify the violations,” Kimball said.
Since the town changed its regulations to fit the use of businesses in the B-2 zone in Stevenson, Kimball said it led to the generation of more tax revenue from the business park, an increase from $70,000 to $300,000 in property taxes.
He added how trucks filling the parking lot the Mondos are proposing would “pay huge amounts of personal property tax.”
Following proper construction practices, Kimball said the retaining wall would be away from the stream, while providing a finite barrier and significant improvements in stormwater quality.
He expressed his appreciation to commissioners who performed a site visit and saw how wide the buffer is between the main road and the proposed use.
Kimball said he admires the Mondos for figuring out a way to generate economic revenue amid constraints from the high tension wires and transmission lines on their property and expressed his belief the family can be trusted to remediate the violations.
“This is a family that didn’t just show up last year and start working here,” Kimball said. “They’ve been working in the community for a lot of years, and giving people in the community jobs. And I think it’s commendable.”
Kimball also defended businesses in the area over the massive flooding last year. He said the town and the state did not maintain their drainage, so their headwalls blocked up and the water came over the road and washed out the hillside.
“It wasn’t the failure of our drainage systems, it was basically the failure of maintenance on the town and state level,” he said, “so I don’t think anybody downstream should be held accountable for the maintenance failures of the town and the state.”
In his closing statements, Smith said the Mondos employ 20 to 25 people, including some laborers, and some workers out of high school, as well as experienced operators with many years of experience in the trade.
He agreed with Kimball on the personal property revenue vehicles will bring if the Mondos are allowed to expand and grow their business in town.
“How can we be trusted? The Mondos are here now trying to make a plan to correct this,” Smith said of the existing violations.
Since his own involvement in 2023, Smith said different things had to be in place first before moving forward with a remediation plan, and Eversource’s approval was also needed.
“The Mondos don’t want to go to Newtown. They want to stay here,” Smith said, adding they will remediate the violations. “They want to be a good business owner in town. They want to be a good neighboring property owner.”
The hearing was continued to Sept. 18.
All respectful comments with the commenter’s first and last name are welcome.
