MEMBERS PRESENT: Patrick Kennedy, Viney Wilson, Bill Carroll, Elizabeth Kuehnel, Bart Pacekonis
ALTERNATES PRESENT: Will Butter, Stephen Wagner
STAFF PRESENT: Michele Lipe, Lauren Zarambo
SPECIAL MEETING / MADDEN ROOM
CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Kennedy called the Special Meeting to order at 7:30 pm.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: None
Discussion/Action regarding the following:
- Plan of Conservation and Development – meeting with Planimetrics consultant Heidi Samokar to review draft plan (previously distributed to the Commission)
Heidi Samokar began going over the draft plan. The guide card was supplied to help the Commissioners focus their comments as they look at the overall structure and organization. The verb chart will be most important in negotiating discussions over strategy. She indicated sometimes agreement can be found more easily by just changing the verb used.
Also, more photographs are needed but will wait for spring for green views. She noted the font size was considered too small and a larger font will be used. When professionally printed the colors will adjust and colors will be cut full bleed.
Ms. Samokar guided the Commissioners when going through the sections to notice if more information is needed as in when something is missing or when more context is needed or if photos or charts are needed to fill out a topic to be made more important or understood.
Commissioner Wagner found the text very readable and asked about addressing typos. Commissioner Kuehnel complimented Ms Samokar on an excellent job done which brought consensus from the Commission. Chairman Kennedy commented on the good flow. A flow suggestion from Planner Lipe was to letter the strategies and carry that lettering through the chapter to make it flow better.
Samokar noted once the strategies are set then the tasks to implement the strategies will be worked on through a separate document.
The first page, the letter from the Commission introducing the plan and how it was created, will be submitted later when the plan goes for public adoption. The table of contents will be color coordinated for ease of knowing what topics are in what section. The list of maps is forthcoming. Ms. Samokar suggested the introductory and conclusion language be rewritten specifically for the South Windsor community.
Starting with Chapter One, ‘Introduction’, Commissioner Butter asked about the use of the word ‘overarching’. Ms Samokar defined it as an overall picture seen from above stating what is in this plan will be applicable for the next ten years. The Commissioner suggested the phrase ‘overall long term strategy’ instead. Planner Lipe recommended adding to the introduction how recent a change it has been for South Windsor to mature from an agricultural community to a suburban community. It really started to happen in the 1970’s. Commissioner Carroll noted it had its beginnings in the 60’s.
In Chapter Two, ‘Conditions and Trends’, the fonts on the charts did not copy well and will be redone. Planner Lipe requested when having this number of charts to have them labeled ‘Figure 1’, ‘Figure 2’ so they could be referenced in the text. Commissioner Wagner noted the last paragraph on page 6 contradicted the first plot on page 7. Ms Samokar stated the sentence did not reflect all the data and she will add more data in and have the charts referenced, ‘Figure 1’ etc. per the Planner’s suggestion.
Commissioner Butter asked about the correlation of the charts on page 7 and what the data in the lower chart was based and if it came from the difference in ages from the census. Ms Samokar replied each age group is taken and aged ten years then the mortality rate is applied for each age group. Planner Lipe asked if a chart of school aged children could be added to page 6. Ms Samokar stated she would add it as well as birth and death rate charts. Commissioner Wilson stated in her neighborhood there used to be two full buses going to Pleasant Valley School and today one bus stop serves four streets with five children at the bus stop. There are no kids in the neighborhood any more, enrollment is going down. Commissioner Wagner stated when a neighborhood is built a lot of young families move in and after the children grow
and move out the neighborhood begins to cycle more naturally. Ms Samokar stated things are going to be much different over the next twenty years than they have been for the last thirty. There are not enough children in the state to repopulate every community as the population ages. Ms Samokar will also add the school enrollment chart.
Planner Lipe noted the statement on page 5, ‘Most new housing has been multi-family and planned residential developments’ refers mostly to senior multi-family and planned developments and is worth noting. Chairman Kennedy stated this has been true in relatively recent years, the last 10 years.
Commissioner Wagner asked how this information gets reflected in the Plan. Ms Samokar stated there are not as many single family subdivisions being developed. Most trends are showing more planned units and multi family housing. This will be reflected in future housing planning policy and can identify the smart places these developments should go. The housing data is also reflected in the affordability of housing. South Windsor is not in the same situation as many towns in western CT find themselves but attention should be paid to affordable housing. The plan does not focus as heavily on the subject in light of the housing data. South Windsor put zoning in place before development happened so the overall pattern will not change but some areas of town, which can accommodate this new type of development, will see the
change. The majority of the South Windsor community is going to stay as it is for the next twenty to thirty years primarily because South Winsor had zoning before development happened.
Vice Chairman Pacekonis asked for a definition of multi-family housing which was defined as three or more units in a building. Multi-family can be found in mixed use projects such as what has been approved at Evergreen Walk or on an even smaller scale in other commercial areas.
Chairman Kennedy stated a lot of the land in residential areas that has not been developed is wetlands. The Planner concurred stating there are very few large parcels left that could yield a large subdivision for single family housing.
Commissioner Wagner asked about the Commission’s role to encourage or discourage trends such as multifamily development. Ms Samokar stated that is the Commission’s role and the plan should include the strategies to reflect where you see the community going in the next ten years. Vice Chairman Pacekonis commented South Windsor has never really been a multi unit town and was unsure if he wanted to encourage the trend. Commissioner Carroll stated the senior housing projects which have been built in the last ten years are multi dwelling type of developments. The Vice Chair stated multi family is not senior housing but rather apartments and condos. Ms Samokar explained the way the senior developments are mapped they do appear as multi-family or planned developments. Commissioner Carroll stressed distinguishing the
difference. Ms Samokar reiterated when working with the residential section of the plan to be sure the policies reflect what the Commissioners think they should be for the next ten years. Eighty-eight percent of the units in South Windsor are owner occupied. Planner Lipe asked for the housing unit chart to break out single family vs. multi family housing units vs. planned developments. She directed the Commissioners to the map (page 13) stating planned developments are DRZ’s (Designed Residence Zones) which are single family units within a planned development like Redfield. Ms Samokar said these would be considered condos with one person or group owning the land. Even if they are single family houses they are on common land. Nutmeg Village will be multi-family.
Vice Chairman Pacekonis asked if the ‘Fiscal’, page 11, would change once the tax abatements expire. Those abatements generally expire every seven years. Town Council has given tax abatements to many large businesses like assisted living facilities, banks and the new hotel. Commissioner Wagner stated property taxes include everything on the grand list and asked what we do for revenue. Chairman Kennedy stated 22% is state aid. The percentages of property taxes are in the grand list.
Returning to page 12, ‘Land Use’ and ‘Zoning’, Commissioner Wagner pointed out the use and definitions of ‘dedicated open space’, ‘privately owned’ and ‘managed open space’ created confusion. Ms. Samokar will add clarity to the sidebar and stated if the word ‘managed’ open space was confusing it could be called ‘perceived’ open space. This is land which looks and acts like open space but could be developed at any time. Chairman Kennedy stated ‘perceived’ is good because it reflects its true status.
Within the ‘Vacant Land’ section of the sidebar on page 12, Vice Chairman Pacekonis stated even though there may be a lot of land, a good number of parcels have been subdivided and cannot be subdivided further. Ms Samokar asked if this could be researched through GIS. Planner Lipe indicated she would have more information within the Planning Department. Ms Samokar stated she did not think this would change policy but needs clarification in the language used. The map may be showing more vacant land than exists. The Planner stated on many pieces of land there have environmental constraints that limit development. Chairman Kennedy suggested instead of ‘with additional development potential’ it may be better to say ‘not fully developed’.
Commission Wagner asked about vacant land perceived to be open space. Ms Samokar stated it is important from a policy perspective to distinguish between open space and vacant. Chairman Kennedy described vacant as land we expect to be developed at some point in the future. Commissioners Wilson and Butter discussed dedicated open space and suggested that was where differentiation should take place as it is land that the Town has acquired for open space and privately owned open space is a different thing. Ms Samokar stated dedicated open space is protected regardless of who owns it and it cannot be developed. The only goal moving forward is managing the land. If it is Town owned there are policies for that.
Vice Chairman Pacekonis asked if all the commercial/industrial land is indicated in the ‘Land Use’ section on page 12 even if it is vacant land. Ms Samokar replied it was not because this is land use rather than zoning and did not include vacant land.
A summary is included of all opportunities for resident input that has been collected so far with two forthcoming public input sessions on page 15 in Chapter 3, ‘Community Values’. Commissioner Wagner suggested combining the survey results on page 17 of resident’s highest priorities with their 2nd highest priorities to gain a better picture of what is important. Ms Samokar commented that the residents frequently used the word ‘balance’ which reflects the top two choices of ‘increasing business development’ and ‘preserving undeveloped land for open space’.
Planner Lipe suggested substituting the phrase ‘because of town services and programs’ for ‘due to’ on page 18. The Commissioners agreed and also suggested using ‘as a result of’ as a better choice.
The goals in Chapter 4, ‘Community Character’, were written in the present tense as if they have been achieved rather than in the future. Also included are ‘Resident’s Words on South Windsor Character’. Each strategic chapter cuts straight to the point and will be indicated by letter. Commissioner Butter suggested including the definitions of the Historic Resources within its chart rather than below the chart as they are currently shown. Ms Samokar also stated she would include a sidebar for the three designation levels, national, state and local. Only the local designation offers the strongest protection where national is more a recognition program.
The Commissioner’s own internal survey supported restrictive zoning to preserve the character of Main Street. The public survey results on the subject of Main Street show that 38 % prefer to leave Main Street as it is and 62% want to do something but are split on what to do. There was strong support town wide for the town using funding to purchase farms. Ms Samokar concluded from the data making purchasing the development rights of land a top priority if there is a willing seller which would be through a recommendation to the Town Council that the support is there.
Commissioner Carroll asked if this plan is approved by the Town Council. Samokar stated the PZC would send the plan to the Town Council for review. The Town Council would have 65 days to take action and provide recommendations to the PZC. The Town Council has the choice on whether to have a public hearing on the subject. After the 65 day period, the Commission can adopt by a super majority vote any part of the plan rejected by the Town Council.
An updated draft will be created based on the Commissioners’ comments from this meeting and next week’s meeting which will be circulated widely for input from others to be collected informally. Then the draft for adoption will be created to go through the formal approval process. This will take place later in the year.
On the subject of Main Street, Vice Chairman Pacekonis pointed out the maps on page 25 which show very little change in the top half of Main Street for each scenario shown. The lower portion of the maps is where the majority of change can occur which might even lead to a switch in school districts or rezoning. Planner Lipe stated without any sort of zoning protection any style of housing can be built. Ms Samokar promoted preserving the land if the public will is there and the owner wants to sell. If the will is not there or owners do not want to sell to preserve the land, cluster development makes the most sense on how to preserve the views which are most important. It will take work to figure out each parcel and the town would need to assist in working with the land owners to figure out how to get what they expect for
their development potential in a way that preserves the scenic value of the land. Planner Lipe stated the Commission has the tools from the current zoning regulations to direct developers as to what land is desired as open space land. A mandate however is needed so that the land to be developed in this area is to be open space subdivision. Ms Samokar noted it will have to be very carefully planned with need for good landscape architects.
Only a small portion of Main Street has the strongest designation status of a local historic district, as seen on the map on page 21. The Historic District Commission has control over that small area for any exterior renovations on buildings. Ten years ago the State of Connecticut created a way for communities to mention within their Plan of Conservation and Development that certain areas might be worthy of a Village District which then allows the PZC to zone an area a Village District in order to preserve the historic character of the land. When new housing or alterations are proposed within a Village District, the Commission must first be consulted to give guidance on the parts that are viewed from the public way. Chairman Kennedy supported including it in the plan to hold open the possibility of a Village District.
The Commission concurred. Ms Samokar indicated there are many communities already successfully using this approach. Planner Lipe interjected possibly introducing commercial uses on a very limited basis with controls so that limited small commercial can come in.
Under Chapter 5, ‘Natural Resources’, Planner Lipe stated the town already has a wetlands policy. When applying for a wetlands permit, mitigation is required if any wetlands is disturbed. Ms Samokar asked about the replacement ratio and the Planner indicated she would consult with Jeff Folger, Environmental Planner. Planner Lipe requested listing sources for the maps asking about the map on page 33.
Chapter 6 addresses ‘Open Space’. The Open Space Task Force already exists in South Windsor and their plan will be incorporated by reference into the plan. In addition to supporting OSTF, the Plan will have strategies to continue to preserve and encourage greenways, work with perceived open space and manage the land that we have. Commissioner Carroll directed Ms Samokar to the Open Space and Greenway Plan on page 37 and asked if there is a plan to connect the greenways. Ms Samokar asked the Planner if someone could be found to map the connections. Commissioner Wagner brought up the Walk & Wheel Ways master plan. This plan encompasses both pathways and open land as ‘greenways’. Planner Lipe gave examples of the open space areas on Avery Street which was an intentional plan to link open
space to development and also sited Evergreen Walk. Ms Samokar stated roads are not considered greenways but a piece of a road that might help link greenways. Commissioner Butter suggested defining greenways within a sidebar.
Ms Samokar bought up a policy question. The Open Space Task Force has recommended that the Plan have a goal of preserving 200 acres over the next ten years. Fifty-seven acres have been preserved over the last ten years. The Commission asked if setting a number of acres is necessary if objectives are being met. Chairman Kennedy stated quality is as important as quantity. Planner Lipe stated the OSTF is aggressive enough to acquire the desired open space.
Planner Lipe bought up the subject of suboptimal pieces of land which the Town has acquired through the subdivision process, page 39, stating the existing subdivision regulations state the land remain open space for 99 years. This would have to be changed in order to dispose of suboptimal properties. Ms Samokar asked what would be the diplomatic process to undo it asking who is violated when a restriction on yourself is violated and also asked if the paragraph on page 39 should be taken out of the plan. Chairman Kennedy stated the paragraph could be deleted. Vice Chairman Pacekonis interjected it belongs within the Plan of Conservation and Development and if it is left in it remains an option. Commission Wilson suggested taking the statement out because it predates OSTF and precipitated its existence. By consensus the
statement will be taken out.
Ms Samokar stated the 490 Farm assessments open space criteria must be included in the Plan. The state sets the guidelines for reduced tax assessment for forest and farms. The town sets the guidelines for allowing a land owner to get a reduced tax assessment for open space and needs to be written into the Plan.
In Chapter 7, ‘Farmland’, Planner Lipe stressed including community gardens. Commissioner Wagner asked about the environmental impact of farming and water quality issues in sewer treatments. Ms Samokar suggested including the topics under the water quality bullet on page 32 and will mention the recent efforts of community gardens in the Plan. SWALPAC is on board, especially concerning the right to farm ordinance.
Vice Chair Pacekonis noted what is written about preserving the character includes nothing about barns. Ms Samokar replied barns were not specifically included in the character section based on the results of the survey which showed the public will was not as strong for their preservation. She suggested ramping up the effort to celebrate the resource of the barns to build support. The word to use is ‘missing’ on the subject of barns but can be included on page 44 in the bullet list as ‘scenic structures including structures such as barns’. There are presently no existing strategies for the preservation of barns and often is ‘demolition by neglect’.
The next meeting will pick up on page 45. Please save comments or questions on the material reviewed in this meeting until the review of the rest of the draft is complete.
Vice Chairman Pacekonis made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Wilson seconded the motion. The motion carried.
ADJOURNMENT: 9:30 pm
Respectfully Submitted,
Lauren L Zarambo
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