Wetlands Panel Orders Survey After Tree Clearing

Inland Wetlands · Meeting of October 7, 2026

Farmington's Inland Wetlands Commission ordered the owner of 243 Brickyard Road to survey and mark a conservation easement after unpermitted tree clearing triggered a cease and desist order. A town staffer identified as Bruce told commissioners a crew cut eight large trees, two with his permission as safety hazards, before he halted the work and issued the order on October 2. Owner Evan Fox said his insurer required tree removal after 2024 flood repairs but admitted "that did not happen through my manager" before any town review.

The panel allowed debris removal and flush-cutting of stumps but barred stump-grinding or lawn expansion toward the wetland buffer, required erosion-control seeding before winter, and will schedule a site walk once the decades-old, never-surveyed 1983 easement is professionally marked.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 863 words

Source: the Inland Wetlands meeting of October 7, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

FARMINGTON — October 7, 2026 — The Farmington Inland Wetlands Commission reviewed a cease and desist order issued against the owner of 243 Brickyard Road for unpermitted tree clearing near a wetland conservation easement, telling the owner he must get the property surveyed and the easement boundary marked before any further work can proceed.

Property owner Evan Fox told commissioners a tree crew removed trees in late September after his insurer required their removal following 2024 flood repairs to the house, but the work was never cleared with the town. A town staff member identified in the meeting only as Bruce, who investigated the clearing after an anonymous complaint, said he counted eight large trees cut, two of which he authorized on site as safety hazards.

The full story

Bruce told the commission he responded to an anonymous call on September 29 about clearing activity at the Brickyard Road property, which sits near the Farmington bike trail and a town storm drainage outlet that feeds a wetland area. When he arrived, a tree company had already removed most of the trees it planned to cut. He allowed two additional trees down as safety hazards, a tree with a large notch and one stripped of its branches, then ordered the crew to stop. After trying to reach the owner, Bruce returned with old site plans from a 1983 as-built survey and measured the clearing against a conservation easement shown on that plan. He estimated the cutting came within roughly three to five feet of the easement line but found no evidence any trees were cut inside it. The town issued the cease and desist order on October 2.

Fox, who said he assumed the mortgage on the house in 2013, told the commission a 2024 flood caused extensive damage that required rebuilding the house from the subfloor up. He said his insurance company mandated removal of trees encroaching on the structure, and his property manager hired the contractor without notifying the town first.

"I was unaware of the needs, but obviously that required coming to the town and discussing with you first, but that did not happen through my manager," Fox said. [00:25:33]

Fox said he also wants to clean up decades of dumped yard debris, treated wood and dead trees on the property, and eventually replace a privacy fence along the shared driveway with his neighbor. He said he intends to sell the property.

Commissioners, several identified in the discussion only by first name, including Rich, Mark, Dave, Robert, Frank and a commissioner called both Alana and Lana at different points, debated how much work to allow before a site walk. The commission agreed the owner may remove already-cut branches and tree trunks from the site and may flush-cut remaining stumps level with the ground, but may not grind or pull stumps, since that would disturb more soil. Members supported seeding bare areas with fast-germinating rye for erosion control before winter but said any additional topsoil or lawn expansion toward the wetland buffer should wait until a new survey confirms the easement boundary.

"So we'll have them get that easement pinned and marked out," Bruce said. [00:17:00]

A commissioner identified as Alana said the easement limits should be established before anything else happens.

"I agree that the limits of the conservation easement should be outlined first," she said. [00:37:06]

Commissioners said the owner's original 1983 survey was done by a surveyor identified only as "Hodge," who Bruce said is still in business, and he will connect the owner with that firm for a new survey and cost estimate. The commission said it would schedule a site walk once the easement is marked. Later the same evening, the Farmington Conservation Commission convened separately, approved its September 16 minutes, and heard from Bruce that the Farmington Land Trust and Memorial Forest will mark their 100th anniversary on October 24.

Why it matters

The case tests how Farmington enforces conservation easements that were drawn decades ago but never physically marked on the ground. Bruce told the commission the 1983 plan for 243 Brickyard Road has no record of survey pins being set, meaning the boundary has existed only on paper for more than 40 years while the property changed hands and a pond shown on the old plan filled with sediment. The remediation plan set at this meeting, requiring a new survey, permanent easement markers and limits on stump work and planting, will shape what the next owner is told about the property's wetland restrictions once it is sold.

Key motions & votes

- Vote: Approve minutes of the September 16 Inland Wetlands Commission meeting Tally: Approved on a voice vote, with one commissioner abstaining - Vote: Approve minutes of the September 16 Conservation Commission meeting Tally: Approved on a voice vote, with one commissioner abstaining - Action: Commission directed the property owner to obtain a survey, have the conservation easement pinned and marked, and permitted limited removal of cut branches and flush-cutting of stumps — Continued pending a site walk once the survey and marking are complete

Source

Farmington Connecticut Meetings: Inland Wetlands Commission meeting, October 7, 2026