KILLINGLY — The Planning and Zoning Commission has stopped taking public comments on the proposed Amazon warehouse on Westcott Road, a procedural change made while the nearly 1.3 million-square-foot site-plan application remains under review.
The commission made the change at its October 19 meeting, according to The Day’s full report. Chairman Keith Thurlow followed advice from town attorney Ken Slater that a site-plan review is an administrative process and does not require a public hearing. Interim senior planner Robin Newton said the commission’s earlier practice of accepting comments on agenda items had gone beyond what site-plan procedure requires.
The distinction matters because the project is not a special-permit application. The Day reported that developer Ryan Companies withdrew an earlier site plan in July and filed a new one that appeared as new business in August. The commission accepted comments in September, and residents also submitted hundreds of written comments.
The end of general public comment does not mean the warehouse has been approved. The application was still listed as unfinished business, and the commission’s role includes review of technical site-plan requirements. Litigation over a separate Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission decision also remains a distinct matter; this article does not infer its outcome.
The commission unanimously granted intervenor status to several residents, The Day reported. Their participation is limited to matters within the Planning and Zoning Commission’s jurisdiction, including erosion controls and stormwater concerns. A special meeting involving the commission, developer and intervenors is scheduled for October 29 at 6 p.m.
A separate proposal for two smaller warehouses at 90 Putnam Pike remains in a different procedural track. That application seeks a special permit, so public comment continues. Its hearing was extended to the commission’s November 16 meeting while parties review additional engineering material.
Killingly’s official commission page says the board reviews site plans, special permits, zone changes and subdivisions, while staff handles daily administration and enforcement. Readers should distinguish the limits placed on comment from a final decision on either warehouse proposal.