Date: Fri 15-Jan-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Morgan-Drive-horse

Full Text:

Horse Arena Plan Draws Fire From Morgan Drive Neighbors

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

A Morgan Drive couple's proposal to build an indoor horse arena at their Zoar

Ridge Stables has drawn opposition from some of their neighbors who say

increasing the equine use of the 30-acre horse farm will damage the quality of

their lives.

The couple, Annette Ammentorp and Brian Sullivan of 5 Morgan Drive, are

seeking a special exception to the zoning regulations to build a

10,368-square-foot steel indoor horse arena; permission to board horses, and

permission to train boarded horses and train their riders. Morgan Drive is a

dead end street off Jeremiah Road, near Jeremiah Road's intersection with

Bennetts Bridge Road.

Besides seeking arena construction approval, in making the application

Ammentorp and Sullivan are seeking to legitimize aspects of their horse

operation which were cited by the town last September in a zoning

cease-and-desist order. The town issued that order based on a neighbor's

complaint about the horse farm.

At a January 7 public hearing, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members

received numerous letters of opposition to the horse farm proposal. A form

letter submitted by 11 signers claims, in part: the application is vague and

doesn't reveal the eventual scope of farm activities; expanding the horse

farm's activities would damage the neighborhood; the proposed arena is too

large; 20 young children live nearby; the proposed new land use would be an

"attractive nuisance;" property values would suffer, and that the proposal

would be a commercial land use in a residential zone.

The P&Z also received eight letters in support of the application.

Civil engineer Alan Shepard, representing the applicants, said Zoar Ridge

Stables would not be open for horseback riding by the general public, but open

only to people who board horses there. Fifteen horses are now kept at the

property.

"It's a good use for the property," Mr Shepard said, noting the property has

been put to equine uses for many years. Horses ridden at the property are kept

there and aren't brought in by trailer, he said.

Ms Ammentorp said the arena would be used for horseback riding in the

wintertime and during bad weather. The zoning regulations allow up to 28

horses to be kept at the property, she said, adding that the property may have

an expanded equine use in the future.

Opponents

Resident Donna Sapienza, of 6 Stone Gate Drive, said Zoar Ridge Stables has

grown from a small horse farm into an "attractive nuisance" with

high-intensity lighting. The town issued the cease-and desist order against

the farm at her request, Ms Sapienza said. The presence of the farm has hurt

her family's quality of life, she said. A horse farm isn't an appropriate land

use in a residential area, she added. Ms Sapienza said she doesn't want a

horse training facility in her neighborhood, adding Zoar Ridge Stables isn't a

small family farm, but is a business.

Resident Robert Sapienza, Ms Sapienza's husband, said the proposed use of the

farm would violate zoning regulations concerning light, dust and odor. "That's

enough lighting to light up a K-mart parking lot... and that's one of the

reasons we're opposed to this," he said. Mr Sapienza asked whether the

presence of horses would foster virus-borne diseases. The presence of a horse

arena would damage nearby property values, he said. Mr Sapienza said he fears

his domestic water well would be contaminated due to the presence of horses. A

commercial horse farm damages the area's aesthetics and poses safety issues,

he said, adding that the neighborhood would be degraded.

Resident Meg Maurer of 12 Stone Gate Drive said zoning issues are posed by the

amount of horse manure and flies present. The farm spreads manure near her

property line, she said. She asked what steps will be taken for insect

control. She objected to lighting facilities at the horse farm and expressed

fear that her water well would become contaminated. The proposed use of the

land would pose hazards to neighborhood children, she said. Ms Maurer told of

an incident in which an errant horse entered her backyard. She objected to the

presence of manure on her residential street. Ms Maurer said the proposed

arena is too large, terming it "out of scale with the neighborhood." Approving

the horse farm's application would damage the quality of life in the

neighborhood, she said. Ms Maurer urged P&Z members not to grant the requested

special exception to the zoning regulations. The main issues posed by the

application involves preserving the quality of life in the Stone Gate Drive

neighborhood and also not allowing a business to operate in a residential

area, she said.

Resident Brendan Conway of 10 Stone Gate Drive also opposed the application.

He raised questions about the potential expansion of horse farm activities,

arena construction, illumination, the clarity of plans for the land, how well

zoning violations would be enforced, the local quality of life, child safety

and property values.

Resident Eileen Brooks of 7 Stone Gate Drive said there have been zoning

violations at Zoar Ridge Stables and the applicants now want a favor from the

town. The applicants should get approvals for all past violations before

obtaining a special exception to the zoning regulations, she said.

Resident Judy Gardner of Jeremiah Road said she has become more and more

concerned about activities at the horse farm. Ms Gardner said a pond on her

property had siltation problems after past construction work at the farm,

resulting in bacterial contamination problems in her water well.

Supporters

Resident Claudia Staley of 42 Bennetts Bridge Road said Zoar Ridge Stables is

a beautifully maintained farm operated by people who are pursuing their goals.

She asked why so much pressure is being put on Ms Ammentorp by opponents.

Resident Penny Meek of 40 Butterfield Road complimented Zoar Ridge Stables for

a well-run operation.

Resident Rosemary Zanfini of 8 Stone Gate Drive said the farm is a clean

operation which makes good use of the property. The alternative to a horse

farm could be a residential subdivision, she said.

Resident Jody Boles, who operates a horse farm on Aunt Park Lane, said

boarding horses on a property amounts to farming rather than a purely

commercial enterprise. "It adds charm to the community," she said.

Resident Kim Connolly of 6 Elizabeth Street said horse farming serves as a way

to keep land as open space. "Newtown is a horse town and we're proud of it,"

she said. "What would you rather have, horses or houses?" she asked.

Horseman David McCauley of Rock Ridge Road said "The farm was here first. The

neighborhood moved in." Traffic in the area is generated by the presence of

houses, he said. Manure is biodegradable, he added. The presence of horses

increases property values, Mr McCauley said.

P&Z members are expected to act on the Zoar Ridge Stables application at an

upcoming session.