On Thursday, Sept. 8, North Branford Auditorium will set the stage for what’s anticipated to be a highly attended public meeting more than 18 months in the making. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., members of the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) will open an adjudication hearing of the J.J. Sullivan Fuel Company’s inland wetlands application for a bulk propane storage/retail facility at 40 Ciro Road.

As previously reported, town meetings on the topic in 2014 raised neighboring residents’ concerns about safety and quality of life issues. The DEEP hearing is a final step in the state’s lengthy inlands wetlands application review process, after it was handed off to DEEP in January 2015 by the attorney representing J.J. Sullivan Fuel Co.

The hearing was triggered after more than 25 individuals responded with input to DEEP comments on the application received by the town in April. Members of the public who want to speak on the matter will be heard during the Sept. 8 meeting.

North Branford Auditorium is located at 654 Foxon Road in the North Branford Intermediate School/North Branford High School campus.