Next up for
Toyota:
Demo two
houses
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Another step toward a Toyota dealership.
Jan. 31 the National Rent-A-Fence company placed a chain link fence along the front edge of the Rt. 44 property that will become a Toyota dealership.
In March 2022 Sean and Michael Putnam, LLC purchased the 12-acre parcel just east of the Putnam Parkade. The sale price was $1.335 million, according to town clerk records. In August 2022 Sean and Michael Putnam LLC purchased a 1.1 acre parcel adjacent to the 12-acre parcel for $725,000. The additional parcel would give the developers enough usable land for the dealership. The 12-acre property has a good deal of wetlands.
Recently, asbestos was removed from the two empty houses on the properties.
Two demolition permits are pending with the town. Once they are complete, the two buildings will be demolished.
Following the demolition, a building permit is next up. The town recently received the developer’s letter from the Connecticut Department of Transportation approving the company’s site plans.
Officials in the town’s building/zoning/land use department said the developers have all their approvals from the town’s planning and zoning and inland wetlands commissions. “Those permits are all done.”
Last July the Inland Wetlands Commission OK'd the development's plan.
The applicant was listed as  McGee Automotive Family, Toyota of Hanover (Mass.), and the owner of the parcels is Sean & Michael Putnam LLC.
According to its lengthy application permit paperwork: “The site improvements will include a parking lot for customers and for vehicle display. The parking lot will have a storm water management system to treat and mitigate storm water prior to outflow towards the wetlands area. There will be two plunge pool type outlet areas adjacent to the wetlands.”  The area is designated for commercial/industrial uses.
In the application McGee Toyota said, “no disturbance to wetlands, but work is along 400 feet of wetland edge.” The affected number of acres breakdown includes “site improvement area (upland to wetlands) is 4.19 acres. Site improvement area within 100 feet of wetlands equals 0.96 acres and direct impact to wetlands is zero acres.”
On the site map all of the construction is along Rt. 44. The map says “woods to be undisturbed.”

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