In 2022, Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) reviewed a variety of applications, including some that brought residents out to meetings in droves.

The first project that caught the attention of locals were three applications by Robert Sherwood for a zone change, text amendment, and subsequent apartment building plan at 35 South Main Street.

In January, the commissioners unanimously denied the project, which originally was going to be a three-story building with 13 one-bedroom, 12 two-bedroom, and 2 three-bedroom apartments.

In March, however, the applicant returned with revised plans. The proposal then sought to build a two-story building with 20 apartments that would be a mix of one- and two-bedrooms.

Even with much public participation where residents expressed concerns and opposition, the updated applications were unanimously approved by the P&Z.

Dayton Crossing

In March, the P&Z also received an application for more apartments, this time near Sandy Hook Center.

Applicant Michael Burton requested a special exception for a property at 24 Glen Road to permit a mixed use development within the Sandy Hook Design District. The project, which he titled “Dayton Crossing,” would be his fourth project in Sandy Hook. His most recent work was the 74-unit apartment complex The River Walk on Washington Avenue.

This new project sought to be half commercial and half residential with Burton’s vision being that it would have a restaurant, office space, and apartments on the same site.

P&Z members discussed it over the course of a few meetings before unanimously approving it with the condition that sidewalks be installed.

Meanwhile, as these applications and others were being brought to the P&Z, another controversial application was making its way through the town boards.

Passionate Opposition

A warehouse proposed to be built in Hawleyville had been approved by Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) earlier in the year. Outraged residents knew it would be going to P&Z next and banned together to try and stop it. Some people put signs up in shop windows and others wrote Letters to the Editor to encourage fellow residents to show up and make their voices heard at the upcoming public hearing.

In early April, P&Z began discussing the application by Wharton Equity Partners, LLC, for a property located at 10 Hawleyville Road and 1 Sedor Lane to construct a 344,880 square foot warehouse building and associated site improvements.

P&Z had to move its meeting from Newtown Municipal Center to Newtown Community Center to better accommodate the more than 200 residents who attended the public hearing. Many people were passionate about opposing the application during the public participation portion.

The following month, P&Z decided to conduct its meeting in Edmond Town Hall’s theater to contain the large crowd and multiple intervenors.

The public hearing continued into June, when protesters stood along Main Street and held signs rejecting the proposed warehouse.

After months of consideration, P&Z ultimately denied the Hawleyville warehouse application.

Shortly after, the hot-button conversation around it led to resident Doreen Trimarchi, on behalf of her group the Newtown Neighbors Alliance, LLC, to request a six-month moratorium on warehouses. Even though it was denied, it did bring up points that the commission agreed were to be taken under consideration.

As a result, P&Z created a subcommittee to make a warehouse/distribution center definition in the zoning guidelines. After roughly half a dozen subsequent meetings, the subcommittee members updated a draft document by Land Use Agency Director of Planning George Benson, who retired in December 2022, about defining warehouses.

The subcommittee approved the version they saw fit in mid-December and will present it to the rest of the commission in 2023.

Farrell Building Requests

The most recent project P&Z is reviewing comes from two joint applications by Farrell Building Company for a zone change at 90 Mt Pleasant Road which if approved would change the zone from M-2A — a commercial economic development sector — to R-2, which permits residential development; and a special exception to permit the construction of 200 rental apartments in 10 buildings on the property.

In similar fashion to the impassioned residents earlier in the year speaking up, these applications have garnered much attention. Not only are residents currently opposing it during the public participation portion of meetings, but First Selectman Dan Rosenthal has written a letter to the commission in opposition of the zone change to the property.

The outcome of this project being approved or denied has not been decided. The next P&Z meeting with this topic on its agenda is scheduled for Thursday, January 5.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.