Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) met for multiple public hearings in the Municipal Center’s Council Chambers on Thursday, December 2. With the P&Z’s previous chair Don Mitchell no longer on the commission, member Roy Meadows led the start of the meeting.

He introduced the newly elected P&Z members who were present that evening: Kersti Leia Ferguson, Gregory Rich, and alternate member Brian Leonardi. Connie Widmann is also a new alternate member but was absent.

“We really are going to miss and have really appreciated Don Mitchell, who is in our presence tonight, and Barbara Manville and Andrew Marone who [are] departing from the Planning and Zoning due to the recent election that we had. We are really going to miss them. They made a contribution for a lot of years to the Planning and Zoning and are going to be missed,” Meadows said.

Meadows opened the floor for nominating a new chair, vice chair, and secretary. Corinne Cox nominated member Dennis Bloom for chair, and all were in favor.

Bloom nominated Meadows to be re-elected as vice chair, and all were in favor. Bloom then nominated Cox as secretary, and all were in favor.

The official election of officers resulted in Bloom becoming P&Z chair, Meadows continuing as P&Z vice chair, and Cox being P&Z secretary.

“We now have our officers for the next year,” Meadows concluded.

Platts Hill Subdivisions

The commission continued its public hearing for Application 21.26 by Santo Silvestro for a subdivision located at 18 Platts Hill Road, as demonstrated on a set of plans titled “Overall Site Plan 18 Platts Hill Road Newtown, Connecticut.”

Representing the applicant was Steve Trinkaus, a licensed professional engineer from Southbury. He discussed the revised plans the surveyor did and how he is in communication with the Health Department about providing information, such as a reserve system, as a condition of approval.

Trinkaus added that a soil scientist report flagged the wetlands on the site, and his client has requested a waiver to allow the existing driveway to be a shared driveway among the four lots.

“At the current time, the driveway from Platts Hill Road services the main house, the barn in the back, which is shown on lot three as a one-bedroom structure with a non-permitted residential use, and the former barn on lot four … My client is not selling the land and the driveway currently serves all of them with no problem,” Trinkaus said.

He emphasized that the subdivision is to put different uses on separate parcels and that new structures are not being created. His clients purposefully purchased the property for its airstrip on site.

Cox inquired, “Is this going to be continued as an airport?” Trinkaus replied that the property has an FAA approval as a grass strip.

Land Use Agency Deputy Director of Planning Rob Sibley said he will review what has been submitted and added that he does not see evidence of the fire tank that was required to be installed on the property.

The public hearing was closed with no vote being taken at the time.

South Main Street Apartments

The following public hearing pertained to three applications by Robert Sherwood. It included:

Application 21.28 for a Zone Change, for a property located at 35 South Main Street, to change the Zone from R-1/2 to South Main Village Design District #11 (SMVDD11) as demonstrated on a set of plans titled, “Town Walk Residences on South Main, Newtown CT.”

Application 21.29 for a Text Amendment to the Zoning Regulations of the Town of Newtown, for a new South Main Village Design District (SMVDD11) located at 35 South Main Street, to permit the construction of a three-story residential building for apartments.

Application 21.30 for a Site Development Plan, for a property located at 35 South Main Street, to permit apartments located within the South Main Village Design District.

Landscape Architect Robert Sherwood told the commission that 35 South Main Street is part of the South Main Village Design District (SMVDD). The property is next to Chintz-N-Prints and across the street from Modzelewski’s Towing & Recovery Inc.

He showed an aerial view of the property that has an existing two-family home, detached two car garage, and barn.

Sherwood wants to create a new zone that would allow residential apartment use. He showed the three-story building rendering.

Twenty-seven units are being proposed and they would be “a mix of one, two, and three bedrooms.” There would be an elevator in the building.

He later specified it will be market grade housing and that there would be 13 one bedrooms, 12 two bedrooms, and 2 three bedrooms.

The parking is proposed to be located in the back of the entrance, off South Main Street. There would be 54 parking spaces, including 12 garage units and handicapped spaces.

Sherwood added that the Fire Marshal has requested they make an emergency access connection off Borough Lane.

Sherwood will be purchasing 16 Borough Lane, which has a single-family residence on it, but this aspect is not part of the application proposals.

Pertaining to landscaping at 35 South Main Street, he listed a variety of plantings that would be “heavily” planted.

When the hearing was open to public comment, multiple residents spoke up.

“Nature Of Newtown Is Changing”

Roger Connor, of Queen Street, who lives directly behind the applicant’s barn, brought up concerns with a “huge influx of new residents” to that area and that he already has “significant drainage issues” with his property. He added that he is also “concerned about light pollution in the area” as well as “large dumpsters and the presence of vermin.”

Connor concluded by saying a three-story building would be unprecedented and affect the area in a “negative manner.”

Longtime Newtown resident and local realtor Kathy Suhoza, who lives near Borough Road, prefaced that she loves the town and is not opposed to change.

“We’re opposed to what they’re looking at putting there because of traffic, the elevation of the building, the severe problems that we have with water issues in the Borough. We are on a very high-water table. We are flooded out all the time,” she said.

Suhoza emphasized the traffic is “really horrific,” and she worries this will cause more traffic problems.

Wally Thomas, of Borough Lane, said removing the building currently on the property would be a positive because it is a “blight,” but everything else proposed is a negative. He echoed Suhoza’s sentiments about the traffic issues in the area as well as that it would take away the views in the area.

“Overall, there is really nothing good here,” he said about the applications.

South Main Street resident Sheila Cole agreed that traffic is an issue in the area and brought up that this is “not the place” for this proposal.

Newtown resident Carol Ando said she does not believe apartments belong in the area, but individual houses do.

“It seems to me in the town now, we are changing zoning to suit the builders. There are apartments going up everywhere. I think apartments are ruining neighborhoods. There’s gridlock in town already anywhere you go in Newtown,” she said.

Ando added, “I feel the nature of Newtown is changing, because we change the zoning to suit the builder. Why have zoning if we don’t stick to what is zoned?”

Longtime Newtown resident Nathalie Bennet said it is “unbelievable how much Newtown has changed” in the last 23 years and that she does not agree it is a quaint town anymore.

“It saddens me to see what’s happening to the town. When I grew up in Redding, Newtown was this farming town … [Newtown] was the place to be if you were into the outdoors, farming, nature, and horses. Over the years, I’m watching those green areas get smaller and smaller and things like this get built,” she said.

Bennet acknowledged the town must change, but small houses would be “more appropriate” for the space than a three-story building.

Newtown resident and former P&Z chair Don Mitchell voiced that this application is for a design district, which it already is in; and that within a design district a development district can be created for unique parcels. After explaining some zoning background, he concluded by saying that he believes the application “does not fit with the scheme of zoning,” and that the P&Z should deny the text amendment.

After the public’s comments, Sherwood said he will address residents’ concerns and provide a traffic report for the next meeting. Per the commission, Sherwood also said he will investigate the parking situation if residents were to have guests.

The P&Z closed the hearing and agreed to continue the applications at its January 6 meeting.

Native Plant Definitions

The final public hearing at the meeting was for Application 21.31 by the Town of Newtown Conservation Commission, for Text Amendments to the Town of Newtown Zoning Regulations to (1) to add the Definitions of Native Plant, Invasive Plants, and Native Cultivars to Interpretations and Definitions and (2) to add §8.04.100 and §8.04.641-647.

Sibley shared that this text amendment is for best practices for the town and environment.

Conservation Commission Chair Holly Kocet represented the application of which her commission endorses, and some members were present at the meeting to show their support.

About a year ago, she and other Conservation Commission members created a native plant resource guide and policy guidelines.

Kocet explained that native plants “are indigenous to our area, they are better adapted to our local climate and soils, and once established rarely require watering; our native trees are long lasting … they are attractive, colorful, and they contribute to biological diversity.”

She said that “developers can and should” use native plants, as they are attractive, considerate to the environment, and keep with the town’s character.

The plans can be informative for residents, too. She added that other towns have already enacted a native plants policy or are in the process of having them created.

Sibley noted that future applicants would have the ability to make exceptions for existing trees. He also added that native plants support the wildlife, to which Kocet agreed.

Member Gregory Rich asked why there was a minimum of 85% shrubs and not 100%. Kocet said she would love it to be at 100%, but it was written to give designers some flexibility.

When Rich inquired how this zoning regulation would be enforced, Sibley explained that it will be “part of a site plan approval.”

Kocet offered her services to help with any future applications that come before the P&Z.

The policy would not apply retroactively to projects, such as the approved non-native sycamore tree being planted at the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial on Riverside Road.

Kocet concluded that this application is “to encourage developers to use natives with the hope that homeowners will pay attention and do the same.”

The public hearing was closed, and the P&Z made a motion to approve the application. It passed unanimously.

2022 Meetings

The commission approved its 2022 Meeting Schedule unanimously. The group will meet on the first and third Thursday each month.

The first half a dozen meetings of the year will be: January 6, January 20, February 3, February 17, March 3, and March 17.

For more information about Planning and Zoning Commission and upcoming meetings, visit newtown-ct.gov/planning-zoning-commission.

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