An Enfield business is looking to use more of its Mullen Road outdoor area for storage under recently revised town zoning regulations.
Connecticut Organics LLC is looking to grow its outdoor storage area from the current capacity of 20% of its 14.4-acre parcel at 18 Mullen Road to 40%.
The application, submitted in early September, is for a modification of a special permit for a plan previously approved.
In 2019, the Enfield Planning and Zoning Commission approved a special permit for 20% outdoor storage, which was the maximum allowed at the time.
The commission earlier this year approved a text amendment allowing use of up to 50% of outdoor rear and side yards.
The applicants said due to business success and growth, the business now needs “additional outdoor storage to support its current operation and to better use its existing property.”
The property is bordered by a 170-foot wooded buffer between residential areas to the south and west. On the east side is the shipping facility for Connecticut Mulch, at 36 Mullen Road.
That facility “is an essential part of the integrated business operations along Mullen Road, making up Connecticut Organic’s manufacturing chain. The existing storage area is composed of bituminous millings on which forklifts operate to manage inventory,” the application reads.
Connecticut Organics is a subsidiary of Connecticut Mulch Inc., at 70 Mullen Road, which operates two forest-product processing farms.
The applicants said this expansion is supported by the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development, and is appropriate for the industrial zone.
The outdoor storage would be used for the temporary storage of packaged agricultural products, which must be moved fast and therefore don’t sit on the property very long.
The expanded outdoor storage area will comply with the current outdoor storage regulations including set-backs and provisions for screening, the application said.
The town Inland Wetlands agency in late September granted approval for the expansion application with provisions.
