New School Bus Facility Approved In Farmington

FARMINGTON, CT — Three months after the local school board voted to hire a new school bus company, local land-use officials voted to allow them to build a new facility in town.

At its last meeting, the Farmington Plan & Zoning Commission unanimously approved a site plan and special permit for Specialty Transportation Inc. to build a new bus facility at 150 New Britain Ave., Farmington.

Last February, the Farmington Board of Education voted to hire Specialty over current school transportation provider M&J Bus out of Old Saybrook.

The new company, based in Berlin, has multiple facilities in Connecticut.

PZC members on May 20 hosted a public hearing and then voted on the proposal after closing it that night.

According to attorney Christian Hoheb, who presented the company's plans to the towns at the hearing, the site is zoned commercial and it will house 44 full-size buses, 11 minibusses, and 20 minivans.

Hoheb said the site has sufficient turning radiuses and the parking spaces on the design are properly sized.

Meanwhile, Specialty Transportation Vice President Michael Turner also addressed some of the concerns raised by the few who spoke during the public hearing.

New Britain Avenue residents Mark O'Hare and Ryan Anderson both expressed concerns about the noise caused by the buses, with O'Hare also worried about traffic.

According to Turner, "there will be minimal noise early morning from the buses," a byproduct of how modern buses operate today.

He said newer buses warm up quicker and don't need long idle times to do so, which was the main cause of noise concerns.

Both Turner and Hoheb said maintenance on the buses will be done at a separate facility and the Farmington site would only be for local school buses taking kids to and from school and school events/trips.

The applicants showed the PZC a brief video showing buses being able to access New Britain Avenue via the site.

Hoheb said Specialty "has an established track record and, per the contract, the buses need to be in town."

After the hearing was closed, the PZC approved both the special permit and site plan with minimal discussion, doing so with some basic conditions.

Those included submission of an approved lighting plan; widening of the driveway to improve sight lines; and working with property owners across the street on visual buffers, etc.

For the minutes of the May 20 Farmington Plan & Zoning Commission meeting, click on this link.

From March 12: 'Farmington Hires New School Bus Provider For Next Year'