ZONING
COMMISSION
P.O. BOX 308
May 5, 2008
Chairman
Rob Martin called the regular meeting of the Zoning Commission to order at 7:04
p.m. Members Jill Conklin, Rob Martin,
Wes Smith and Alternate Dan Fraro (seated for Ray Hafford) were present and
constituted a quorum. Town Planner
Patrice Carson was also present.
II. MINUTES APPROVAL: April 7, 2008 (regular meeting) & April 21, 2008
The approval for the minutes of the April 7, 2008
meeting was deferred to the next meeting.
A
motion was made by Dan Fraro, seconded by Jill Conklin and unanimously voted to
approve the minutes of the April 21, 2008 meeting as written.
All necessary positions on the Board have been
filled. If another candidate were to
come forward however, they could be added to the Board.
It was agreed by consensus to remove this item from
future agendas and add it if a candidate came forward.
IV. OLD BUSINESS:
a.
Discussion/Possible Decision: Application For Zone Change From A-1 To I,
225 & 251 Field Road, Smyth & Avery
The
Commission could reviewed the file and information that had been presented at
the hearing.
Mr.
Martin asked Wes Smith if he had listened to the tapes of the Public Hearing on
this issue that he had not attended.
Mr. Smith said that he did.
Mr.
Martin asked if the Commission had any questions or wanted further
discussion. There were no questions but
the Commission did review the minutes of the Planning Commission meeting and
their referral comments on the issue.
Ms.
Carson stated that the Town Attorney prefers the motion to be made in the
positive and that reasons should be given for any vote on the motion.
A
motion was made by Wes Smith and seconded by Dan Fraro to approve Smyth and
Avery’s application for a zone change from A-1 to I at 225 and 251 Field
Road. Mr. Smith stated that after
reviewing Somers’ Plan of Conservation & Development he found the
application consistent with the direction that the plan suggests. Dan Fraro agreed with Mr. Smith’s reason and
also stated that this was in keeping with the recommendation of the Planning
Commission on this matter. The vote was
2 in favor (Fraro and Smith), 2 opposed (Conklin and Martin), and 0
abstentions. The motion did not carry;
the zone changed did not pass.
b. Discussion: Zoning Commission’s Proposed Amendments To The
Zoning Regulations For Outdoor Wood Burning Furnaces – Set Hearing Date
Ms. Carson presented a draft regulation to the
Commission. As suggested by the
Commission, this version bans burning between April 15th and October
15th and has an exemption from this ban for agricultural or farm
use. Ms. Carson added that the Town
Attorney issued a statement that he believes the amendment complies with the
state statute and he therefore had no additional comments. The amendment must be referred to CRCOG and
will have a 35-day review period. The
amendment will be subject to another Public Hearing.
A motion was made by Jill Conklin, seconded by
Dan Fraro and unanimously voted to set a Public Hearing for the Zoning
Commission’s proposed amendments to the zoning regulations for outdoor wood
burning furnaces for Monday, June 16, 2008 at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall.
Jill Conklin clarified that the 200-foot
restriction in the proposed regulation refers to a 200-foot distance from an
OWBF unit from an actual residence and not from a property line. Rob Martin suggested the regulation should
reference the Town definitions for farm and agricultural operation and asked
Ms. Carson to check that with the Town Attorney.
A motion was made by Jill Conklin, seconded by
Dan Fraro and unanimously voted to amend the previous motion to include a
referral of the proposed amendment to CRCOG and the Planning Commission.
c. Other – There was no other Old
Business.
V. NEW BUSINESS:
a. Determination
Of Staff Review: Site Plan Application
For Change Of Use To Office Space, 27 Quality Avenue, Guisti
Ralph Guisti explained that STR (Specialized Technology Resources) is a potential new tenant for his building at 27 Quality Avenue. Mr. Giusti wants to be prepared for a move to take place in thirty days and so is preparing his application now. STR would be using about 4,000 square feet of the building for office space. Twenty to a maximum of forty employees would be using the offices and there would be no public traffic in and out. STR plans to have a 2-year contract for the space.
Mr. Giusti believes that his parking plan will be the primary concern of the Zoning Commission regarding the move. He described his current plan with 34 parking spaces and his Phase II parking plan, which would allow for another 12 spaces.
The building currently houses Mac Dac Engineering and a day care center. Mr. Guisti described the traffic patterns of the day care center. The center would only need five parking spaces and a buffer zone for drop-off and pick-up traffic. Mac Dac has seven employees.
There was a consensus of the Commission to allow the application to be decided through staff review.
b. Other
A motion was made by Wes Smith, seconded by Dan Fraro and unanimously
voted to add Determination of Staff Review: Site Plan Application for a 12’ X 16’ shed
at 359 Mountain Road, Worthington Pond Farm.
Ms. Carson explained that Mr. Roulier wants to install a permanent shed
for the storage of model trains.
Mr. Smith stated that he
applauds Mr. Roullier for making the application because he has been wrongly
accused of not following protocol in the past.
The Commission reviewed
the application and there was a consensus of the Commission to allow the
application to be decided through staff review.
VI. DISCUSSION: PLAN OF CONSERVATION & DEVELOPMENT
a. Ridgeline
Regulations – Review Draft
Ms. Carson suggested that the next Zoning meeting be devoted to
discussion of the Ridgeline Regulations, since the agenda appeared to be
light. A discussion ensued regarding
clarification on timbering and selective harvesting of trees versus
clear-cutting. Current regulations do
not allow removal of trees greater than 6” in diameter. Dan Fraro offered to ask a forester he knows
to attend a Zoning meeting to discuss how to select trees for lumbering.
VII. STAFF/COMMISSIONER REPORTS
On Friday, May 9th, Ms. Carson will be
interviewing candidates for the Town’s ZEO position. South Windsor, Ellington and Somers plan to share a ZEO.
IX. ADJOURNMENT
A
motion was made by Wes Smith, seconded by Jill Conklin and unanimously voted to
adjourn the May 5, 2009 Zoning Commission meeting at 8:01 p.m.
Respectfully
submitted,
Wesley
Smith Jeanne Reed
Board
Secretary Recording
Secretary
MINUTES ARE NOT OFFICIAL
UNTIL APPROVAL AT A SUBSEQUENT MEETING.