Commercial Development—

P&Z Proposes Hawleyville Center Design Guidelines

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members have formulated a set of proposed design guidelines for new commercial construction in the Hawleyville Center Design District-East (HCDD-E) zone in Hawleyville Center, intended to promote orderly and attractive commercial growth in that area.

P&Z members have been discussing creating a set of architectural and site development guidelines for the HCDD-E zone for the past several months.

The proposal for advisory design guidelines, plus a set of related proposed revised zoning regulations, will be the subject of a P&Z public hearing scheduled for 7:30 pm on Thursday, July 15, at the town land use office at Canaan House at Fairfield Hills.

The HCDD-E zone generally lies along the east side of Hawleyville Road. The zone runs about 2,500 feet alongside Hawleyville Road, extending northward from Interstate 84.

The HCDD-E zone also extends eastward from Hawleyville Road a short distance up Barnabas Road. A portion of the HCDD-E zone lies on the west side of Hawleyville Road, across the street from the Hawleyville Post Office. The HCDD-E zone covers more than 30 acres. The P&Z created most of that HCDD-E zone in April 2000.

Formulating design guidelines for Hawleyville Center follows the P&Z’s recent approval of a developer’s proposal for an industrial-style commercial building in the HCDD-E zone on Barnabas Road. P&Z members had expressed a desire that the Barnabas Road building be less industrial-looking than is planned.

Also, earlier this year, the P&Z rezoned property along the west side of Hawleyville Road from Residential (R-2) to HCDD-E zoning, thus greatly expanding the potential future uses for that property. Residents living near the Hawleyville Road property that received the zone change had expressed concerns that the site not have some visually objectionable commercial use built on it in the future.

The P&Z then decided to formulate design guidelines for the HCDD-E zone.

The guidelines’ purpose is promote the P&Z’s preferred architectural and site design elements, which are intended to create a “New England village theme” that has visual harmony and cohesiveness.

“Community character and appearances will serve to preserve property values and create a ‘sense of place’ for the neighborhood commercial district,” according to the P&Z.

The guidelines are intended for new commercial construction, including exterior alterations and substantial additions. They do not affect single-family houses in the HCDD-E zone, unless those houses contain commercial uses. The guidelines list recommendations intended to promote the functionality of the area, its visual cohesiveness, and a general sense of place.

The guidelines urge the preservation of existing natural features such as large trees, stone walls, and rock outcroppings. They urge that buildings be positioned along street frontages with vehicle parking areas situated to the rear or to the side of buildings. The side of a building that faces the street should be designed to appear to be the “front” of the building, according to the P&Z.

The guidelines also call for shared driveways, interconnected parking lots, and internal passageways as means to limit curb cuts.

Landscaping

Landscaping in the HCDD-E zone should foster a consistent appearance for the area, according to the P&Z. Commercial signs should visually harmonize with a building’s architectural style, it adds. Site lighting should be both functional and pleasingly decorative. Garbage cans, air conditioning equipment, and fuel tanks, among other functional objects, should be screened from public view according to the P&Z.

The P&Z recommends that buildings be positioned in small groups, rather than being large monolithic forms, in order to foster a New England village appearance for the area.

The P&Z is encouraging the construction of two-story structures, with apartments situated above retail and other commercial uses.

In the guidelines, the P&Z recommends the use of architectural details to provide visual interest. Preferred detailing includes gabled roofs, multipaned windows, chimneys, porches, window shutters, and fanlights, all of which would be of a particular architectural style. The P&Z recommends peaked-roof construction and the presence of awnings.

Preferred building materials include brick, stone, narrow clapboards, wood shingles, and vinyl siding. Preferred roofing materials are cedar shakes, slate, copper, and laminated architectural-grade shingles.

The P&Z makes numerous recommendations concerning preferred landscaping, site lighting, and signage.

Also, the agency describes an optional design review process, under which proposed commercial development would be critiqued before the submission of a formal application to the P&Z.

HCDD-E Rationale

The P&Z created HCDD-E zoning in 2000 to encourage the creation of a neighborhood business district with mixed-use features, such as those found in a New England village. The P&Z projects that the HCDD-E zone could support 30,000 square feet of store space, 30,000 square feet of office/personal services space, and 24 housing units.

Permitted uses in the HCDD-E zone include stores up to a maximum size of 15,000 square feet, personal services businesses, banks, offices, restaurants, museums, galleries, meeting halls, places of religious worship, government buildings, firehouses, post offices, libraries, commuter parking lots, and transportation terminals. Dwellings are allowed to be located above commercial uses.

Copies of the proposed Hawleyville Center design guidelines and the proposed modifications to the HCDD-E zoning regulations are available for review at the town land use office.

The P&Z has recommended that the town create a “design review board” that would review the appearance of proposed new commercial buildings and review major modifications to existing commercial buildings within designated “design districts,” with an eye toward architectural and site aesthetics.

Besides Hawleyville Center, another design district is located in Sandy Hook Center. The Sandy Hook Design District (SHDD) extends outward from the intersection of Church Hill Road, Washington Avenue, Riverside Road, and Glen Road in Sandy Hook Center. The P&Z created SHDD zoning in 1995.

Neither the SHDD, nor the HCDD-E zones, yet have design guidelines for new commercial development.

The P&Z also is considering creating a design district for South Main Street, south of the borough.

The Board of Selectmen has endorsed the P&Z’s proposal to create a town design review board. The selectmen have forwarded the matter to the Legislative Council, which would consider enacting a town ordinance to create such an advisory panel.

Three volunteer members of a design review board would have backgrounds in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and urban planning. Board members would be appointed by the first selectman, and endorsed by the selectmen, for two-year terms.

The agency would aid property owners and design professionals understand the P&Z’s desired appearance of commercial development, both in terms of architecture and site work.