East Hampton Planning and Zoning Commission
Special Meeting/Workshop
October 1, 2008
East Hampton Town Hall Meeting Room
Unapproved Minutes
1. Call to Order and Seating of Alternates: Chairman Philhower called the meeting to
order at 6:00 p.m.
Present: Chairman Mark Philhower, Vice-Chairman Ray Zatorski, Members Peter
Aarrestad (6:08), Roy Gauthier, Rowland Rux, James Sennett, Alternate Members
Michael Brogan, and Richard Gosselin. Town Manager, Jeff O’Keefe, and Building,
Planning, and Zoning Administrator, James Carey, were also present.
Absent: Member Kevin Reed and Alternate Member Darin Hurne were not present.
Chairman Philhower introduced the new Town Manager, Jeff O’Keefe, to the Commission.
The Chairman seated Alternate Member Brogan at this time.
2. Discussion: Zoning Regulation 6.1: Mr. Carey distributed the enabling statute, 8-2 of the
Connecticut General Statutes. He explained that included in packets distributed for tonight’s
meeting were regulations for area towns to determine the different standards for lots and
buildings. He displayed the new Town GIS maps and the Town Planned Sewer map.
The Commission discussed the Town’s sewer plan and the P.O.C.D., as well as the State
P.O.C.D. Mr. Carey explained that any extension of sewer, water, road infrastructure, etc.
requires the PZC to issue an 824 Report prior to the action of the WPCA. This makes the
PZC much more powerful. The WPCA can overrule the PZC but it must be done by ¾
majority vote. Extensions of this type must come to the PZC before the WPCA decides.
They discussed the benefits derived from eliminating the sewer density bonus and the need
to make a record leading up to the change in case the Commission is legally challenged.
Mr. Aarrestad discussed understanding the zoning regulations and how they came to be.
He is in agreement that increasing the lot size in the R-1 Zone could present a problem.
He agrees that there must be a good and rational argument for changing the regulations
to something that the Commission believes will serve the Town well into the future.
Mr. Carey believes that the GIS map which will be available to the Town by late November
will bring with it the types of information that will be very useful in justifying global changes
that involve numbers of properties. He is concerned that making wide scale changes now, in
difficult economic times, will meet wide scale opposition.
Mr. Aarrestad discussed renaming the Planned Sewer Area to Sewer Avoidance Area. This
puts all developers on notice that they have to deal with onsite water and septic and they
build the lots accordingly. He believes higher density development should be supported
and suggests that the best way to do that is to reuse areas that are already developed.
For example the village center area. The town needs to accept the fact that there will be
higher density in the core areas.
The Commission discussed giving up potential industrial use in the downtown area to
reuse those same areas. The Town and the state and region are all trending to smart
growth. They discussed the methods needed to address the potential sewer development
area and change the current map. The processes of the Office of Policy and Management
were reviewed.
The Chairman opened the meeting to the public.
Wayne Rand, Manager of Skyline Estates, discussed the way the current/potential sewer
area map was developed. He also discussed moving to a flat, across the board, 40,000 sq. ft.
lot size. This will make property more affordable for the average person in this town and will
compete with affordable housing.
Kyle Dostaler, 56 William Drive, doesn’t understand why the Town feels it needs to be justified
to change its regulations and lots sizes. They should need no other reason than to comply with
the State P.O.C.D. He believes the sewer density bonus is promoting sprawl. He questioned
how many other towns in Connecticut allow for builders to come in and build two times as many
homes in an area.
The Commission responded that Mr. Carey discussed the numbers earlier in the meeting.
Mary Ann Dostaler, 56 William Drive, pointed out that the towns with smaller lots sizes are in
towns where sewer is already built or where it gets extended to. She has done a lot of research
on this and has found no other town where there is incentive to the developer to extend the
sewer system.
Chairman Philhower stated that there are three or four different zones in this Town that are sewered.
Other towns only have one zone. The Commission should investigate this. A decision should be
made by the Commission as to where the sewer is going, where the Commission wants it to go, and
set the zone for that and keep all the others out of it.
The Chairman asked that a joint meeting be scheduled with the WPCA and the PZC. Mr. Carey reported
that he will be on vacation from November 7th through November 21st. He will be in attendance at the
special meeting of the WPCA on October 14th.
3. Adjournment: Mr. Zatorski moved to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Rux seconded the motion.
The motion carried unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Daphne C. Schaub
Recording Secretary
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