By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are reviewing a proposal to redevelop a former residential property at 84 South Main Street into a commercial complex with both office and retail uses.

Applicant Andrew Wiggin of 11 Farm Meadow Road is seeking a special permit to renovate existing structures on the site, as well as construct a new office building. The project is proposed under the Special Development District (SDD) provisions of the South Main Street Village Design District (SMSVDD) zoning regulations. Mr Wiggin also is seeking a change of zone.

The 2.5-acre site is the west side of South Main Street, just south of South Main Street’s southern intersection with Elm Drive.

 Engineer Larry Edwards, representing Mr Wiggin at a March 20 P&Z public hearing, told P&Z members that an existing single-family house on the site would be renovated for retail uses. Also, an office building designed in the style of a barn would be constructed to the west of the house. An existing garage on the site also would be renovated as part of the complex.

The “nice old Victorian house,” which encloses approximately 3,100 square feet of space, is now being renovated, Mr Edwards said. The existing garage is on the northern section of the site. One entry/exit driveway would serve the complex, he said. The property would have parking for 35 vehicles, he said.

Architect John Ruffalo of Shelton, representing the applicant, said the rustic-style two-level office building would enclose about 4,700 square feet of space. The barnlike design would be clad with vertical wood siding and have a shingled roof, he said.

Judy Fishman of 11 Farm Meadow Road said that the proposed office building would be occupied by her publishing firm, known as LMT Communications Inc. That Monroe company publishes a business magazine for the dental laboratory industry.

Ms Fishman said redevelopment plans call for the garage on the site to be winterized and then used as a pottery studio and crafts gallery. The house on the site may be used for an antiques shop or a real estate office, she said.

P&Z Chairman Lilla Dean said that the P&Z and the applicant would need to mutually agree on what types of retail uses are permissible on the site, noting that there limits on allowable retail uses.

The SDD zoning rules provide flexibility in terms of the permitted land uses on a commercial site, provided that the P&Z and the applicant can agree on which uses are practical ones for the property.

The retail uses on such a site need to be “low impact” ones, Ms Dean later said, adding that limiting the retail uses on the site to one-third of the enclosed space there would be a good limitation. 

Mr Wiggin told P&Z members that the proposed new office building would contain the 14 employees of LMT Communications, which would fully occupy the structure.

The mixed uses that would be present on the site would result in dispersed traffic flow at the property, which is located on the busy South Main Street, he said.

Resident Marlene Bucci of 13 Bonnie Brae Drive raised concerns about increased traffic stemming from the redevelopment of 84 South Main Street. The southern intersection of South Main Street and Elm Drive is a difficult intersection for motorists, she said. Retail uses at the site could generate more traffic traveling on Elm Drive, she said.

Resident Neil Chaudhary of 1 Southbrook Lane similarly raised concerns about the traffic implications of the project, noting that there are hazardous traffic conditions in the area.

Resident Paul Fadus of 5 Sunset Hill Road endorsed Mr Wiggin’s proposal for redeveloping the site, saying that the project would both renovate an old house and create an attractive office building.

“I think this is a fine addition to the town,” he said.

Ms Dean noted that South Main Street carries heavy traffic through the area. She said she will be interested in discussing the project with the applicant’s traffic engineer at an upcoming session.

P&Z member Robert Mulholland said the architect should provide the P&Z with a complete rendering of the project’s appearance, rather than the fractional renderings that were presented at the March 20 hearing.

The public hearing on the redevelopment proposal will resume at an upcoming P&Z session.