The Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) met on Zoom to continue its public hearing regarding detached accessory apartments on March 4.

Application 21.03 by the Town of Newtown’s Land Use Agency sought a text amendment to the town’s zoning regulations pertaining to detached accessory apartments.

According to the agenda, the application specifics include wanting to “1.) eliminate the seven-year requirement for detached accessory apartments, 2.) eliminate the lot size requirement for detached accessory apartments, 3.) increase the detached accessory apartment maximum square footage from 800 to 1,000, and 4.) convert detached accessory apartments from Special Exception Use to Accessory Use.”

P&Z Chair Don Mitchell prefaced the discussion by telling his fellow commission members that a “tweaked version” of the draft document was filed earlier the same day.

George Benson, Land Use Agency director of planning, identified that the updates being shown on the shared screen were highlighted. Those additions stated:

“3.01.331 The main dwelling shall have a minimum floor area of fifteen hundred (1,500) square feet, and either the dwelling or the apartment shall be occupied by the owner of the premises.

“3.01.332 The accessory apartment shall provide separate living quarters for a maximum of two people, including complete kitchen and bathroom facilities, as well as with two means of egress, including a separate outside door. The apartment shall have a maximum floor area of nine hundred (900) square feet or forty (40) percent of the main dwelling floor area, whichever is less.

“3.01.333 Floor area for accessory apartments to be calculated by measuring the interior dimensions, minus areas less than five (5) feet in ceiling height and staircases.”

While going over the changes, Benson told the commission, “The big thing was in 332 there is a second little paragraph. I put in a maximum of two people, including a kitchen and bathroom facilities. We took out the other rooms like you suggested… and the ‘two people’ I got from our regulations about roomers and boarders in homes.”

Mitchell recommended changing the term “people” to “adults,” citing the possible scenario of a young couple with a baby.

Other members voiced that they agree with being more specific to adults.

Benson was open to the change, and clerk Christine O’Neill made the update to the wording while sharing the draft document on the screen.

Mitchell concluded that he felt the write-up was “clear and pretty reasonable as it was proposed.”

During the public participation portion, attorney Robert “Bob” Hall spoke said he was representing Nick Barzetti of Flat Swamp Road. He presented exterior and interior images of Barzetti’s detached accessory apartment in town, while giving commentary on the dimensions of the rooms.

He did so to show the impact the approval of the text amendment would have in this specific case.

Hall told the commission that he believed his client’s apartment would comply with these text amendment regulations if they were to pass and appreciates not having to go through the special exception process for the apartment.

“So, Bob, the wording is okay?” Benson asked Hall, to which Hall answered that Benson did a great job.

P&Z member Corinne Cox inquired if there was a kitchen and bathroom in the apartment Hall showed.

Hall confirmed there is a full bathroom and that the kitchen is in the living room.

The application regarding detached accessory apartment regulations was unanimously approved with the amendment of “two people” to ‘two adults” in the text. The approval will become effective March 27, 2021.