Construction and development projects require careful compliance with federal and state environmental laws. Our attorneys are recognized as leaders in the field of environmental law. We provide practical, common-sense advice on the environmental and permitting steps required to develop your project. We step in at the front end, assessing stakeholders, developers and project plans, to ensure no unnecessary or unanticipated delays.
We have significant experience in conducting site assessments to determine the environmental impact of construction and development projects. We have particular expertise in subsurface investigations and development of proposed remediation measures. Because we understand that the outcome of a site assessment can make or break a project, we work closely with you to explore and explain your options in full. Thanks to the many and varied assessments we have worked on, we are able to offer creative and unique solutions to help you address the most challenging issues you may face.
Our knowledge of the law, the regulatory framework and the underlying science is extensive. With this background, we are able to assist you in thoroughly assessing and evaluating environmental risks. Our attorneys help you assess the likelihood of contamination at a site. Where remediation may be necessary, we help you understand the requirements, the costs and the options. For lenders and borrowers, our services include monitoring of compliance issues and efforts.
We believe early planning helps ensure a project's success. Our focus is on assembling the right team at the outset and then reaching out early in the process to regulators, community leaders, stakeholders and media. We confront concerns head on, using our legal knowledge to pave the way for your project's approval.
Rep Matters
Synthetic Turf Field Permits Obtained
Ann M. Catino, Chair of the Environmental and Land Use Practice Group, secured a special permit issued by the Town of Hamden Planning and Zoning Commission for the conversion of a natural grass baseball field to a multi-purpose synthetic turf crumb rubber field, which will serve baseball, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey. The new field was approved after several days of public hearings and amidst staunch opposition groups who decried the proposal to install a crumb rubber field. Ann and associate Kelly C. McKeon worked closely with the design engineers and ultimately involved one of the foremost toxicologists in the country to present testimony and evidence on whether the studies and evidence indicate crumb rubber fields pose environmental or health risks to the athletes and public. Placing the issue squarely in the context of science, the 29 peer-reviewed studies conducted by states, universities and foreign governments and with uniformly consistent conclusions, Ann and the team was able to navigate the emotionally charged outcries presented by well-organized opposition groups. When the groups only presented raw data regarding the presence of constituents in crumb rubber, the applicant team presented evidence not only as to the methodological flaws associated with the data generation, but also that the data (even if accurate) reported constituents that exist in synthetic turf at levels below background soils or applicable standards. In the end, the evidence in favor of a multi-purpose crumb rubber field was obviously compelling. Against the backdrop of proposed new studies to be conducted by the EPA, the intense media scrutiny associated with these fields, and legislative initiatives calling for a moratorium on such fields, the Town spent considerable time carefully evaluating and considering the merits of all claims. During the deliberations, it was acknowledged that there was no peer-reviewed study supporting the arguments presented by the opponents. In the end, the science prevailed and was underscored by a unanimous vote of the Commission. Several weeks prior, Ann also successfully lead the permitting team to obtain a wetlands permit for the field. Again, countering opposition and an intervention under the Connecticut Environmental Protection Act, the commission granted the permit.
Ann Catino Obtain Favorable Decision From Westport Planning and Zoning Commission
Ann Catino recently obtained a favorable decision from the Westport Planning and Zoning Commission, which voted to approve construction of a new 102,000 square foot Westport Weston Family Y on a 32 acre parcel adjacent to the Merritt Parkway and bordered by the Saugatuck River. Eric Bernheim also assisted in this matter.
This final decision followed approvals from various town bodies and the Connecticut DEP, as well as many hours of hearings and deliberations by the Planning and Zoning Commission. This was the longest application in the history the Commission.
