ROUTE 1 TASK FORCE ADHOC COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
Tuesday, Aug 28, 2012 at 5:30 p.m.
First Floor Conference Room
Old Saybrook Town Hall
302 Main Street
- Meeting was called to order at 5:40 pm by D.Shearer
II. Members present included Chairman D. Shearer, T. Lyons, T. Downes and J. Keating. Members absent included E.Baker, K.Constable and B.D’Agostino. Present in the audience included M.Fish, E.Steffen and S.Esty.
III. REGULAR BUSINESS
A. Motion made by T.Lyons to approve July Meeting Minutes. Seconded by T.Downes
B. Discussed OS Event Article. D.Shearer to send out for final review before sending to OS Events magazine on 29-Aug. T.Londregan agreed to provide Limo and Dinner. T.Downes suggested providing the winner of the contest with a ‘Night on the Town’ of OS.
C. Presentation by Tim Londregan (Londregan Real Estate): T.Londregan provided a brief review of his real estate experiences over the past 10 years. He mentioned Coastline Motor Sports being sold to Hunter Ambulance. He expressed his opinion that “Better is better”. Emphasis was placed on traffic count (13,000 trips along the Route 1 East corridor vs. 26,000 trips along the central Route 1 corridor near Main Street) on Rte 1/ day, outdoor storage and outdoor repair work and environmental precautions being ‘overlooked’. He discussed ‘blight verses pre-existing non-conforming. T.Lyons mentioned marketing all 28 acres (Stanley Motors property and the Custom Marine series of properties), which initiated
discussion as to potential development effects if zoning was to be changed, as Custom Marine had 9 lots by itself. T.Downes suggested the possibility of a fifth “B-commercial” zone to allow for the best of all uses presently included in the B-2, B-4 and I-1 Districts. As an example, he suggested changing the existing B-4 and I-1 Districts along the Route 1 East corridor to a new B-5 Commercial District designation. Tim suggested an overlay zone and allowing for mixed use. Specific to T.Londregan’s vision for Rte 1 E, he stressed (1) Zone change, (2) Creating an incentive to sell (eg- waive conveyance tax or tax abatement, (3) Combine projects/ lots and provide façade/ landscape grants (4) Phase in requirements (eg- sidewalks and landscaping) and (5) Creating incentives to buy (tax abatements, etc). S.Esty stated that she was in favor of sidewalks on Rte 1 E, following some discussion of same.
D. Review Mullin Report & EDC Marine District documents: D.Shearer emphasized that the Mullin Report could serve as an initial structure and template in which to begin formulating a written plan for the Task Force and will begin to revise the document in preparation for the Sept 25 Rte 1 meeting. T.Lyons suggested having some method of prioritization within the plan. J.Keating emphasized a 0-2 and 2-5 year priority strategy. T.Downes suggested having a catalog of tools/options that can be considered and prioritized in a final report. T.Lyons suggested DECD tools and TIFF to create leverage.
E. Discuss Format of Rte 1 Task Force Document: See letter ‘D’ above
IV. WORKSHOP
A. A brief brainstorming session occurred whereby Rte 1 Task force members expressed their interests for Rte 1 E. Ideas which were conveyed included:
- Major retail/ Retail/ Franchise
- Hotel
- Office Park
- Medical Office
- Mixed Use
- High end residential
- Restaurants
- Academic Institution/ Community College (Ecological Studies)
- Aquatic Center
T.Downes offered to research tax abatement tools and other similar incentive programs that are used by municipalities around the state.
D.Shearer emphasized the unique talents of each Rte 1 Task force member and that each incorporate his/ her expertise as the Rte 1 document is further developed. T.Lyons suggested a Rte 1 E field trip for the first hour of the Sept. meeting.
V. CORRESPONDENCE: N/A
- ADJOURNMENT: Motion to adjourn by T.Lyons; seconded by T.Downes
Respectfully Submitted,
David Shearer
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