The Planning & Zoning Commission approved the proposed development at 2-4-6-8 Riverside Road on Thursday, November 21.

The vote carried 4-1, with Connie Widmann, Greg Rich, Roy Meadows, and Peter Schwarz, who acted as an alternate, voted in favor. Barbara Manville voted against the development.

The development includes four buildings of mixed use. Building one is a residential building with 12 units on two floors. Building two is a mixed-use building, with residential over retail, with nine units in a town house style. Building three is six residential over garage units, and building five is another mixed-use building with four units over retail. Building five would rest where the building on the corner of Riverside Road and Washington Avenue is currently. The developer included a stadium-style staircase for pedestrian access from Riverside Road and Washington Avenue, and an area to preserve the pine tree that sits in front of 2 Riverside Road.

Manville shared a statement before the vote, saying, “Personally, I have lived over 30 years within two miles of the proposal at 2-4-6-8 Riverside Road. We raised our boys here, the boys attended Sandy Hook School here … It’s my neighborhood and I’m very passionate about what is and is not developed here. I understand that there really, probably, is nothing zoning wise that will hold back the development, but I just feel like the project is too large and overwhelming as a whole for Sandy Hook Center.”

Before the vote was taken, there was some back and forth on the commission regarding conditions for the application. One condition, proposed by Planning & Zoning Chair David Rosen, is that the developer install four sitting benches by the stone steps near building five.

Meadows wanted clarity regarding the color palette of the development, as that was a huge area of concern for both the Design Advisory Board and Planning & Zoning. The first renderings of the development included bright colors, following modern trends, but both boards pushed for a historic color palette.

Meadows wanted to add a condition that muted colors be enforced for the development, but Land Use Director Rob Sibley asked, “Who’s responsible for enforcing [the color palette]?”

Sibley explained to the commission that there are guidelines regarding color palettes, but the enforcing of color would be difficult, and would fall on one person.

“If this was a historical district, it might be something that can be carried out, but managing the colors of what the building will be is, it’s a bit tricky,” he said.

Rich repeated an argument he had made at the beginning of the meeting when the topic of parking came up.

“I feel as if this applicant has acted in good faith from the beginning, and if we put this as a condition, it is my belief that the applicant will comply. And personally, that’s good enough for me.”

The commission put the development to a vote with the two conditions being “the applicant will install four sitting benches above the stone steps near building five along the access path … [and] monochromatic colors to be used in muted tones on the buildings to be consistent with Sandy Hook.”

The approval will be effective December 14.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.