Hampden Conservation Commission Votes to Seek Legal Opinion on Wetland Dispute

HAMPDEN -- February 18, 2026, Hampden Conservation Commission tables wetland buffer enforcement pending town attorney review. The commission voted unanimously at its February 18 meeting to authorize member Joe to consult town attorney Rose before taking any further action against a property owner identified as Jonathan, who refused to allow a previously scheduled site visit and claimed a two-year statute of limitations bars the commission's allegations. Joe told the board that satellite imagery provided by consultant Mark Stinson shows new vegetation changes in wetland buffers between 2024 and 2025, which he argued falls within any limitation window, and that Jonathan has signaled he may retain his own attorney. The commission also received notice from the Board of Health of a newly subdivided 12.5-acre lot on Rock Dundee Road where a contractor has proposed building a house and septic system within the 200-foot riverfront protection buffer of a stream connected to the Scantic River, with a formal Notice of Intent expected if no alternative building site can be found on the parcel.