ANSONIA — There is a gross miscarriage of justice in Ansonia, and it is affecting hundreds of residents. On May 7, I was given the opportunity to meet with residents of my ward, the fifth ward, in regard to consistent and borderline unbearable disturbances due to unpermitted activities that are taking place at 16 Riverside Drive. After hearing their stories, seeing what is going on firsthand, and doing my own research, I could not believe that this was taking place.
If you are not aware, the company situated at 16 Riverside Drive has been running an illegal rock crushing operation. Per Ansonia’s own zoning regulations, rock crushing is not a permitted use of property here in Ansonia. The process is tumultuous, disturbing our residents at all hours of the day, and vibrating their homes. On top of that, no precautions are being taken to limit the amount of dust and debris that this process causes. These disturbances aren’t just affecting residents of the fifth ward, either. After speaking with more residents about this issue, the noise and vibrations carry over to the other side of the river.
Ansonia’s own zoning regulations do not list rock crushing as a permitted use of property in the city, regardless of what the property is classified as. In 2002, the then zoning enforcement officer (ZEO), Peter Crabtree, actually issued a cease-and-desist letter to the former owners of 16 Riverside Drive for the same issue. In 2004, the Superior Court of Connecticut even ruled in Mr. Crabtree’s favor, and upheld the zoning regulations that do not designate rock crushing as a permitted use here in Ansonia.
Although literally legal precedent, the Cassetti administration seems to have a different opinion. Ansonia’s current ZEO, David Blackwell, claims that rock crushing is a permitted use of property in Ansonia, despite the Superior Court of Connecticut ruling it isn’t.
In October of 2020, the issue of the illegal rock crushing operation was brought to Ansonia’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). Before a resident or their counsel could get a word in edgewise, Ansonia’s Corporation Counsel, John Marini, shut down the meeting and instructed the board to dismiss the appeal. The board took Marini’s advice, and denied the appeal without hearing from residents. To quote Jean Falbo-Sosnovich, “A virtual meeting held last month to discuss the appeal ended as quickly as it started.”
After months of back and forth with the Cassetti administration, including David Blackwell and John Marini, the ZBA meets in January of 2021 to discuss Riverside Drive. Mr. Marini interjects in the meeting, and again does not allow the residents or their counsel to represent their case properly. He calls the appeal “untimely,” and tells the board that they don’t have the ability to take action on this issue. The board again sides with Marini, and denies the appeal yet again.
After researching this and hearing from the residents that this is affecting, I can’t help but wonder why the city won’t take action on this issue. There is legal precedent, and hundreds of residents are being disturbed by excessive noise, vibrations, dust and debris. It seems that Mayor Cassetti and his administration could care less about the people of our city, and it is incredibly disheartening to see their lack of action on this very clear infraction.
The writer is from Ansonia.
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