28 School House rd is located at the end of School House rd (red arrow). Most of the property is a tidal wetland and is a favorite spot for migratory birds. Just off there are large patches of eel grass and oyster beds. The water is very shallow, and is teaming with hermit crabs, snails, crabs, and minnows. The view is incredible. There has never been a building on the property and the waterfront is pristine. The lot has recently been purchased. It is debatable if a dwelling can be built on it since sewage will be required to be pumped offsite and there is no location on the property that is greater than 100 feet from wetlands.
This is an aerial view of the property on the Mystic River from a few years ago. High tide is shown in light blue and the extent of a very high tide near the road is shown in dark blue. The current house and docks on either side have been there for over 50 years. The beach in between the houses has never been used or modified and the water in front of this area has seen only an occasional kayak or fisherman.
If the owner doesn't put his boats here, where would he put them? Amazingly enough there is a marina just hundreds of feet away! See photo below.
Note the two Marinas very close by, in the red circles! Is it really worth the destruction of Wetlands, Eelgrass, and a nesting site for migratory birds to have a private dock with power lifts capable of handling a 50' boat? His house is not even on the property or even next to it!
Since the photos were taken above, the property owner constructed a driveway and parking area. He also created a "beach" by dumping gravel on the shore. The driveway construction required filling Tidal Wetland area that blocked access. The beach appears to be the result of dumping a considerable amount of gravel on top of existing vegetation. A permit is necessary to fill wetlands and tidal flats; Stonington Zoning and Planning has notified CT Dept of Energy and Environmental Protection about the apparent violation fo CT law.
Every year all kinds of migratory birds nest on the property and paddle back and forth across the cove to prepare their young for the flight south. At low tide the water where the birds are is only a few ft deep. Jet skis have been shown to be particularly disruptive to bird flocks. They take flight sooner, and don't land as readily when jet skis, as opposed to powerboats, are present. It is not hard to imagine how a jet ski and a 100 ft dock could destroy a nesting site that has been there since at least 1946.
Who looks at a fragile shallow water ecosystem like this and thinks, "What this place needs is some jet skis and a big boat!"
"Approval of this type of dock, in this situation, will make it possible for other Masons Island property owners to come forth and make similar requests since there will now be precedent. I know two others who will use this as evidence of exceptions for building docks on Masons Island with similar situations. " Concerned resident
