Town of
North Stonington, CT
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
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REGULAR MEETING
THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012 – 7:00 P.M.
New Town Hall
Conference Room
40 Main Street
North Stonington, CT 06359
MINUTES APPROVED ~ MAY 10, 2012
1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER: Vice-Chair Boissevain called the Regular Meeting of the North Stonington Planning & Zoning Commission to order on Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 7:02p.m. at the New Town Hall, Conference Room.
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Louis Steinbrecher, Chairman (arrived at 7:06 p.m.), Elaine Boissevain, Vice-Chair, Joseph Siner, Secretary, Wayne Wilkinson, Ann Brown, and Alternate Member Pat Lewis (left at 7:30 p.m.)
COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Alternate Member Julie Lanier
STAFF PRESENT: Sr. Planner & Zoning Official Juliet Leeming and Administrative Assistant Cheryl Konsavitch
2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA:
ZEO Leeming asked that the agenda be amended to add executive session to discuss personnel issues at the end of the agenda.
3. PUBLIC COMMENT: None
4. PUBLIC HEARINGS:
5. COMMISSION REVIEW:
A. SP #12-026 (Site Plan Modification) Application of the Town of North Stonington, Highway Department, 40 Main Street, North Stonington, CT 06359 to construct a building addition for use as a vehicle wash station. Property is located at 11 Wyassup Road, North Stonington, CT 06359 in an R-80 Zone. Tax Map #109, Parcel #5292 (Commission received on 3/08/12 & must act on or by 5/11/12)
Secretary Siner read the application into the record.
Seated: L. Steinbrecher, E. Boissevain, J. Siner, W. Wilkinson, A. Brown
Pat Lafayette, Engineer of Development Solutions went over the continued application with the Commission. Mr. Lafayette submitted an overview of the vehicle maintenance wash station and stated that periodically highway department vehicles should be washed down to remove sand, dirt and oil/grease from the vehicles. Mr. Lafayette stated that this wash water is termed vehicle maintenance wastewater and is required by DEEP to be collected into a VMW treatment system. The system is to consist of a separator, a device, or equipment for separating oil or grit from wastewater and a holding tank for the storage of treating VMW until its conveyance to a publicly owned treatment works by means of a properly licensed transporter.
The Commission discussed eliminating the overflow drainage basin and relying on the overflow alarm on the proposed holding tank.
MOTION by J. Siner SECOND by E. Boissevain to approve SP #12-026 (Site Plan Modification) Application of the Town of North Stonington, Highway Department, 40 Main Street, North Stonington, CT 06359 to construct a building addition for use as a vehicle wash station. Property is located at 11 Wyassup Road, North Stonington, CT 06359 in an R-80 Zone. Tax Map #109, Parcel #5292 with the
modification to eliminate the planned overflow for the holding tank and submit a modified plan with the change. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
6. NEW APPLICATIONS: None
7. PLANNING ISSUES & DISCUSSION:
ZEO Leeming discussed the McIntosh lot split, which was a workshop item on the 4/12/12 agenda for an interior lot. ZEO Leeming stated the Commission needs to have a different set of standards for certain site-plan applications where many of the sections of Section 1700 do not apply. This is especially necessary as there are Sections in 1700 that are not currently waiveable.
A. Brown discussed the buildable square stating that the applicant has to prove out that they have a buildable square for it to be a legitimate lot. ZEO Leeming stated that in her review of a developed lot she checks to make sure they have the required setbacks and if it were a new lot, then they would have to have the required buildable square. A. Brown asked that if you’re splitting a 100 acre lot into a 6 acre lot don’t you need to show that it still complies to the regulations? ZEO Leeming stated for a developed lot she does not look at the buildable square, but it would be required for an undeveloped lot. Once the lot is developed the buildable square is no longer relevant.
POCD Update
ZEO Leeming went over the budget presented to the Board of Finance and also gave the Commission a handout pertaining to the POCD update that she reviewed with the Commission
8. SENIOR PLANNER & ZONING OFFICIAL’S REPORT/ISSUES:
ZEO Activity Report/April
ZEO Leeming went over her activity report for the month of April
9. NEW BUSINESS:
10. OLD BUSINESS:
11. REVIEW MINUTES:
Review minutes of Regular Meeting of 4/12/12
MOTION by W. Wilkinson, SECOND by J. Siner to approve the regular meeting minutes of 4/12/12 with the necessary corrections. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
12. ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION:
ZEO Leeming asked the Commission to go into Executive Session to discuss personnel issues to discuss her job description, performance issues, and salary. Shawn Murphy, Selectman who was present stated these are not valid reasons to go into Executive Session unless you are just going to talk about job performance. The Commission decided to discuss the matter in the open meeting.
Chairman Steinbrecher stated he was told today that the Board of Finance decided to cut all Town Hall workers’ hours by 10 percent. Mr. Murphy stated he would like to correct that statement saying the Board of Selectmen were asked to reduce certain positions based on a list given to them by the Board of Finance in order to achieve a bottom line reduction of 10 percent but that they would not necessarily reduce each employee by 10 percent. The Commission discussed the budget and ZEO Leeming stated she would like a clearer job description of her job responsibilities as her current job description does not reflect her actual job as Planner and ZEO. ZEO Leeming also stated that as a salary employee, a reduction in hours did not justify a reduction in pay as her job would remain the same. Chairman
Steinbrecher stated that when Planning and Zoning and the ZEO went to the Board of Finance to discuss their plans for the coming year the Board of Finance was in favor of giving the Planning Department more money to move the Town forward. There was no mention of a salary cut or reduction in hours. The Commission will go to the Board of Selectmen to ask that the ZEO/Sr. Planner’s hours not be cut.
13. ADJOURNMENT:
MOTION by J. Siner, SECOND by E. Boissevain to adjourn the meeting at 9:16 p.m. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Respectfully Submitted,
Cheryl Konsavitch
Cheryl Konsavitch, Administrative Assistant
Planning & Zoning Office
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