Torrington — The City Council on Monday authorized the mayor to execute documents that release the city’s current right-of-way across one parcel in exchange for a new right-of-way on adjacent parcels, a move city officials said will secure municipal access to public property near a large, contested solar installation.

The motion, amended during discussion to clarify the map references, authorizes the mayor to release the city’s existing right-of-way on Map 222 — Lot 004 — Lot 026 and accept an alternative right-of-way on Map 221 — Lot 003 — Lot 001 and Map 221 — Lot 004 — Lot 026 (map identifiers as read into the record). The council approved the motion by voice vote; the mayor called the motion after extended discussion.

Why the exchange: City staff and council members said the swap provides a clearer, more usable access route to municipal property and will create a buffer between public land and a nearby commercial solar installation. Officials emphasized the measure is a property-access transaction and not a zoning or siting approval for the solar project itself.

Public concern and council comments: Multiple speakers used the meeting to renew opposition to the state siting process for large solar arrays and to note loss of farmland in the Highland Avenue/Rossi Road area. A number of council members and the mayor reiterated that the council has opposed the nearby installations at prior hearings but said the right-of-way vote was a separate technical step to protect city access and property lines. One council member described the solar development as a loss of “pristine, beautiful farmland” and urged further legislative advocacy; council members said earlier efforts in the state legislature failed and that Governor Ned Lamont indicated he would veto some municipal-control measures if sent to him during the last session.

Motion specifics and record change: During debate a staff member clarified the motion’s legal description; the mayor amended the motion on the record to list the specific map and lot numbers being exchanged (the text above reflects the clarification read into the public record). Council members then approved the adjusted motion.

Ending: Council members said the vote was intended to preserve municipal access to public property and to create additional buffering from the solar site; several indicated continued opposition to the state siting council’s authority over such utility-scale projects and signaled a desire for future legislative changes.