RIDGEFIELD, CT / ACCESS Newswire / July 16, 2026 / For the second time in less than two months, a state Superior Court judge has ruled against the Ridgefield Inland Wetlands Board over a proposed multifamily housing plan.
The court recently ruled in favor of property owner Moreton Binn, overturning the board's denial of his application to build a bridge providing access to a proposed redevelopment at 599 Branchville Road.
In its 26-page decision issued June 26, the court found that none of the three reasons the board cited for denying Binn's application "were supported by substantial evidence of an adverse impact" and that the denial "lacked substantial evidence."
The proposal calls for a bridge over a stream, along with a driveway and drainage improvements within the wetlands upland review area.
The court granted Binn's appeal and ordered the board to approve the application. The board can either comply with the ruling or appeal it to the Connecticut Appellate Court.
The board was expected to discuss the court's decision in executive session at its meeting Thursday, said attorney Tom Beecher, who is representing the Inland Wetlands Board.
Attorney Robert Jewell, who represents Binn, said, "We are pleased but not surprised."
Binn's proposal, first sent to Ridgefield's Inland Wetlands Board in July 2024, was unanimously denied by a vote of 5-0.
The board's denial stated the proposed stream crossing and related site work will have a "detrimental impact on the wetlands located throughout the subject site, and that a feasible and prudent alternative may exist."
The board also said the proposed bridge "will undoubtedly have an adverse impact on the stream and wetland areas that it is designed to cross."
Separately, Binn has proposed redeveloping the property with about 40 apartments. An earlier version of the proposal, which called for luxury apartments, was denied. He later withdrew that application and submitted a revised plan that includes a mix of affordable and market-rate units.
The Binn property is in the town's Branchville neighborhood, where many residents and officials are concerned about the potential for overdevelopment and the need to retain green space.
The nearly 20-acre property contains a single-family home and was formerly home to the Binn Animal Rescue Facility, which operated there for 15 years before relocating out of state. The animal enclosures and farm roads remain, and the home's main building dates to 1780.
Abbott Avenue Plan
In May, the court also ruled against the Inland Wetlands Board in a separate case involving a proposed 14-unit townhouse development on Abbott Avenue.
The plan centered on a proposed affordable housing development at 27 Abbott Avenue, a half-acre property currently occupied by a single-family home built in 1951. Developer and property owner Veton Alimi sued the town's Inland Wetlands Board after the board rejected the proposal in 2023.
Alimi filed an appeal in Superior Court in Danbury the following month, arguing he was "aggrieved" by the board's decision.
In its 88-page decision, the court found the board lacked sufficient evidence to deny the application, writing that the record did not establish either the likelihood or the nature of any adverse impact the development would have on nearby wetlands.
For more information, please contact bob.jewell@dmglaw.com.
SOURCE: Moreton Binn
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/real-estate/ridgefield-wetlands-board-suffers-second-court-loss-in-less-than-two-months-1191091
