Planning and Zoning Commission
40 Old Farms Road Willington, CT 06279
October 18, 2011 – 7:30 PM
Meeting Minutes
Roll Call
Members Present:
Andrew Marco – Vice Chairman
John Sullivan
Phil Nevers
Edward Standish
Thomas Murphy
James Poole - Alternate
Members Absent:
Matthew Ellis – Chairman - excused
Walter Parsell - excused
Also Present
Susan Yorgensen – Planner-Zoning/Wetlands Agt.
PUBLIC HEARING
A. Marco called the Public Hearing to order at 7:32. He went over the rules of the public hearing explaining that it is for the commission to hear evidence in which to help them make a decision, he said the evidence presented at the public hearing is the only information the commission can use during deliberations. He said that the commission could receive no new information once the hearing is closed and they cannot discuss it with anyone else except staff who can talk about information already submitted. A. Marco said if the commission feels they need more information on a topic, they could extend the public hearing.
PZC2011-48 Application Special Permit for Home Occupation Tax Service at 12 Laurel Dr (Map 53 Lot 20-41 Zone R80) Owner/Applicant: James & Diane Bulick (Received Sept 20, 2011 Public Hearing October 18, 2011 Decision with in 65 days after close of P.H)
James and Diane Bulick were present. Mrs. Bulick said she expects very little traffic; at best, 50 to 60 people this coming season. She said they are the first house on the street so the only impact will be to their house and the house across the street but she only expects 3 to 4 people a day by appointment only. Mrs. Bulick said she has a long driveway and a turnaround that will accommodate the parking.
P. Nevers motioned to close the public hearing. T. Murphy seconded the motion. All in favor. Hearing closed.
PZC2011-47 Application Special Permit &Site Plan Approval for 24 Units for Elderly Residents at 60 Old Farms Road (Map17 Lot 1 Zone DER) Owner: Town of Willington Applicant: Willington Housing Authority (Received Sept 20, 2011P.H. Public Hearing October 18, 2011 Decision within 65 days after close of P.H.)
Robert Campbell, the Chairman of the Housing Authority, introduced the team present.
Eric Peterson, a Professional Engineer with Gardner & Peterson, submitted the notification cards and said the signs were posted October 5th. He presented plans and said the application was approved by the commission of 12 years ago; the preliminary plan was approved by P & Z. Mr. Peterson went over the previous approvals and said they are before the commission for site plan approval and special permit approval for the 3rd phase. There will be 24 cottage style; units 4 buildings with 6 units in each. The buildings will be serviced by the existing water service on site and Mr. Peterson submitted a letter from the Connecticut Department of Health and said the septic system was designed to include the 24 additional units and was a DEP approved design construction to include all units
proposed.
Mr. Peterson said the Housing Authority provided additional parking with the intent to use all spaces for larger events and food share. He presented the drainage plan and said the parking lot lighting will be the same style currently at Willington Woods today; it will look like one uniform site with full cut-off lighting. Mr. Peterson said the buildings will be in excess of 200 feet from the property line and showed the sidewalks and paths on the plans. The path will go to the existing recreation area and they will be increasing the recreation area to meet the requirements. He said they will provide a waste disposal area and will provide waste and storage areas for the upper and lower sides and said they will meet all the requirements.
Mr. Peterson said they have set the buildings in the hillside and all units will be one floor, no stairs. He said the Senior Center will abandon their existing septic and will tie into the new unit. A discussion was held on the existing septic. Mr. Peterson presented the Erosion and Sedimentation Plan.
Mr. Peterson said there are currently 90 parking spaces and they will increase it to 203. E. Standish asked about the stockpile area and Mr. Peterson said they would stock pile soil. A. Marco asked about a transportation point and Mr. Peterson said the busses currently come in now in front of Willington Woods. A discussion was held on the canopy for shelter.
John Alexopoulos, a Landscape Architect, presented the landscaping design. He gave details of the plantings shown on the plans. He said they will be low maintenance and showed a low mow strip on the plans. He said they would not use invasive species. A discussion was held on the maintenance.
Bill Crosskey, of Crosskey Architects, presented the building design. He said the over /under design will maximize use of space, the small units will be 702 square feet, and the larger units will be 832 square feet. The units will be clustered in groups of 6, 3 per floor and two-thirds of the units will be the larger, 1 bedroom with a den, and the remaining third will be the smaller units. Mr. Crosskey said the buildings are traditional in character and gave the design details including the materials. J. Sullivan asked about sound proofing between units and Mr. Crosskey said they would be double stud walls and have floor/ceiling construction. J. Poole asked about the mechanicals and Mr. Crosskey said they are still working on that. He said they might go with a central boiler for each building and
condensers for the air conditioning.
Mr. Crosskey said they have no storage planned within the buildings other than the normal closets. He said they would install gutters and J. Poole asked about rain gardens. Mr. Alexopoulos said they considered it but with the slopes and the tight parking, he did not think they would be efficient. J. Poole asked if 31 feet meets the fire code and S. Yorgensen said it was more than enough.
T. Murphy asked about the handicap parking and Mr. Peterson said they meet the requirements and will make sure there is handicap access from each building.
Don Berg, of the Willington Housing Authority, said he hopes the commission endorses the project.
Bob Campbell, of the Willington Housing Authority, said the commission was chartered to design and build senior housing. He said Wilbur Gangeway gave them the push to develop senior housing. Mr. Campbell explained the phases and said the Housing Authority has worked extremely hard to maximize this site to its fullest capacity while staying within the character of the town.
Al and Katherine Brody said they were concerned about the water table and the well water supply. Mr. Peterson said they have 3 working wells on site today and DEP would not approve it if it would be detrimental to neighbors.
Mr. Wiecienski asked that the commission not drag their feet.
A discussion was held on fire protection. Mr. Campbell said it is likely to be sprinklers and Mr. Crosskey said it is a requirement.
Wilbur Gangeway said in 1974 he wrote a letter asking for a future senior housing plan. He is now 77 and they just got senior housing in 2007. He said he was overjoyed when they got Willington Woods. Mr. Gangeway thinks this is a great project and hopes the commission is in favor.
Selectman Christina Mailhos said they Board of Selectmen looked at the plans at last months meeting and is in support of the project. She thanked the Housing Authority; they did listen to the Board of Selectmen’s comments and incorporated them into the project.
John Reuber asked about the plans in regards to Mirtl Road and Mr. Peterson said there is a conservation easement there and it is pretty well protected.
S. Yorgensen asked the location of any tanks. Mr. Peterson said they are still discussing utilities. Mr. Campbell said they might go with propane tanks that will be placed in the ground. A discussion was held. S. Yorgensen asked that the construction staging area be showed on the plans. Mr. Peterson said they would absolutely do that.
Kathy Demers asked about mail and Mr. Peterson said there would be 2 central stations with short-term parking.
Mr. Chapman requested if the commission closes the public hearing, they act as quickly as possible. They would like the bidding out this year as they currently have some money in the town to work on that.
Mr. Peterson referred to the engineering review from Jacobson & Associates dated October 18, 2011. He was they would certainly incorporate all comments except for 7E in which he had concerns. He said their calculations on the design flow have the full capacity within .5 cfs with the existing 24” pipe. He said if the capacity is there, he does not want to trade erosion control for a larger pipe if they do not need it.
P. Nevers motioned to close the public hearing. J. Sullivan seconded the motion. All in favor. Hearing closed.
Regular Meeting
J. Poole was seated for Walter Parsell.
Request for Review and approval pursuant to CGS 8-24 for Trail Conservation Easement for the Nipmuck Trail (Knowlton Tract)
Andy Marco said, per 8-24, the commission issues a report and turned the floor to J. Poole.
J. Poole said, after reviewing the easement, they came up with a few recommendations. He read the following letter from M. Ellis:
To: Christina Mailhos, First Selectman
From: Matt Ellis, Chairman, Willington Planning Commission
Date: October 18, 2011
Subject: 8-24 Review for Trail Conservation Easement for the Nipmuck Trail
(KnowltonTract)
The Planning Commission for the Town of Willington approves the Trail Conservation Easement for the Nipmuck Trail (Knowlton Tract) with the following recommendations.
1). The sixty (60) foot wide Trail corridor should be reduced to forty (40) feet.
2). It is recommended that the Trail Center line be delineated every fifty (50) feet with all coordinates included in the proposed easement.
3). Change to 4. (c) item 3 – “any such relocation shall be subject to the approval of the Grantor” add “and only be within the protected area.”
4). Change to 4. (c) item 5 – Add “Grantor reserves the right to review and approve all symbols, blazes or signs prior to implementation.”
5). Item 10 – Dissolution and Assignment – Change to: “Should the Grantee cease to exist, the easement ceases to exist and ownership of the “Trail corridor” reverts ownership to the Town of Willington.”
Should you wish to discuss this further with the Planning Commission, please do not hesitate to schedule time a future Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
______________________________________________
Matthew O. Ellis
Chairman, Willington Planning and Zoning Commission
A discussion was held on the 60-foot wide corridor. Kathy Demers said 60 feet is the standard to keep the easement in its natural state. J. Poole said they have concerns about widening of the property and wants to protect the water shed. A discussion was held on a 60-foot corridor vs. a 40-foot corridor. A discussion was held on recreation. J. Poole said he had a concern that if the agency ceases to exist and turns it over to someone else or sells the easement to another agency there could be snowmobiles or motor bikes going on it as has been done in other states. Peter Anderson said the State of CT already has a conservation easement on the property that restricts active recreation.
A. Marco motioned to submit the letter as written. P. Nevers seconded the motion. All in favor. Motion carried.
PZC2011-47 Application Special Permit &Site Plan Approval for 24 units for Elderly Residents at 60 Old Farms Road (Map17 Lot 1 Zone DER) Owner: Town of Willington Applicant: Willington Housing Authority (Received Sept 20, 2011P.H. Public Hearing October 18, 2011 Decision within 65 days after close of P.H.)
The commission agreed that Mr. Peterson did a great job on the presentation. A discussion was held on the tanks and water lines. A discussion was held. The application was tabled for discussion until the next meeting where conditions will be discussed in order that staff and/or the attorney can draft a motion for the following meeting.
PZC2011-48 Application Special Permit for Home Occupation Tax Service at 12 Laurel Dr (Map 53 Lot 20-41 Zone R80) Owner/Applicant: James & Diane Bulick (Received Sept 20, 2011 Public Hearing by November 15, 2011 Decision with in 65 days after close of P.H)
A discussion was held on clients and foot traffic. The commission asked staff to draft a motion for next meeting.
Minutes
P. Nevers motioned to approve the minutes. E. Standish seconded the motion. All in favor.
Correspondence
- Letter from Planning and Zoning to Stock N Lock regarding outside storage.
A discussion was held on outside storage. The original conditions specifically state “no outside storage” In addition, S. Yorgensen said the regulations do not allow outside storage. The only exception is if the Commission specifically approves it and it is totally shielded from view. A. Marcos said they could come in with a request to modify their special permit and final site development plan to allow for outside storage and shield it in accordance with the regulations. The consensus of the Commission was that they would consider that but in the meantime, they should come into compliance.
Staff Report
S. Yorgensen said she did not have anything additional.
Meeting Adjourned at 9:43.
Respectfully Submitted,
Michele Manas
Recording Clerk
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