Date: Fri 25-Dec-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Boles-horse-property

Full Text:

Neighbors Resist Plans For Horse Boarding On Aunt Park Road

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Amid strong opposition from neighborhood residents, Planning and Zoning

Commission (P&Z) members are considering a proposal from an Aunt Park Lane

couple to legitimize their existing horse boarding operation and also to build

a horse arena on their 22-acre property.

Robert and Jody Boles of 39 Aunt Park Lane are seeking P&Z approval for horse

boarding and also approval to build a 12,240-square-foot, steel-frame,

fabric-enclosed horse arena.

Numerous neighborhood residents attending a December 17 P&Z public hearing on

the proposal voiced opposition to the application. Their central concerns

involve potentially heavier traffic on Aunt Park Lane, a narrow, winding side

street off Hattertown Road.

Commission members are expected to rule on the application at an upcoming

session.

According to Milone and MacBroom, a Cheshire engineering firm hired by the

applicants to study the traffic aspects of the application, traffic wouldn't

be worsened on Aunt Park Lane.

Aunt Park Lane recently was rebuilt by the town, prompting motorists there to

travel faster than they did when the street was in poor condition, according

to neighbors opposing the horse boarding and arena construction project.

Currently, the Boles' property contains stalls to board 14 horses. The

property also has either five or six stalls designated for personal use,

depending upon how those stalls are counted.

P&Z members received letters from neighborhood residents noting their

opposition to the application. P&Z staff members were checking to learn

whether the letters received will trigger a zoning mechanism that would

require a 4-to-1 majority, rather than a simple 3-to-2 majority of P&Z

members, to approve the application.

In a report to P&Z commissioners, Town Engineer Ronald Bolmer listed seven

deficiencies in the application, resulting in his not recommending approval of

the proposal. The topics involve: driveway width, parking areas, zone

boundaries, proposed improvements depicted on maps, lack of a drainage

analysis, the depiction of contour lines on maps, and open space depiction.

Surveyor

Woodbury surveyor Curtiss B. Smith represents the Boles in their application.

The Boles bought nine acres in 1996 and purchased an additional adjacent 13

acres last June, the surveyor said. A neighbor complained to the town that

although the Boles' were boarding horses on their land, they didn't have town

approval to do so, resulting in their appearance at the P&Z hearing, Mr Smith

said.

Beyond legitimizing their horse boarding operation, the couple want to build a

30-foot-tall arena for horse training on their land, Mr Smith said.

Mr Smith addressed the issues raised by Mr Bolmer, explaining that the

application complies with applicable rules.

If the Boles' application is granted, they have no intention of expanding

their horse facilities, Mr Smith said.

Questions

Wesley Gillingham, president of the Newtown Forest Association, a local land

conservation group, raised questions about the Boles' equine use of

association land adjacent to the Boles property.

Mr Gillingham asked whether the Boles would rent out the use of horses,

potentially placing heavy horse traffic and excessive wear on the association

property.

Ms Boles responded that her horse operation wouldn't rent out horses for

casual use on adjacent property.

Resident Lynn Schubert of 27 Aunt Park Lane submitted the signatures of Aunt

Park Lane residents who oppose the application. A majority of those people

polled oppose the horse proposal, she said.

Ms Schubert said there are 38 vehicle trips at the Boles property daily,

adding that the application would cause increased traffic in the area. Ms

Schubert said she and her husband moved to Aunt Park Lane because it is a

quiet area. "It's being built up too much. I love the horses. I do not like

the traffic," she said. Besides automobiles using the road to reach the Boles'

property, the site also generates vehicle trips used by the horse-services

industry, she said. The traffic in the neighborhood has increased since the

Boles moved in, she said.

Resident Dana Schubert, Ms Schubert's husband, said he would be able to see

the proposed arena from his house. Mr Schubert pointed out there are some

narrow sections of Aunt Park Lane. "We fear that there will be an accident.

It's a dangerous road," he said. Mr Schubert said his primary concern with the

horse proposal involves increased the traffic load on an already-dangerous

street.

Resident Leslie Tolles of 22 Aunt Park Lane said "I believe the boarding of

horses is probably contemporary farming." If the land isn't used for horses,

it might otherwise be developed for new home construction, she said.

Resident Andrew McCullough of 20 Aunt Park Lane asked how horse manure

generated at the site would be disposed.

Resident Michael Manes of 21 Aunt Park Lane said the road is narrow and hilly

with dangerous curves. About one dozen children under age 10 live there, he

said. The application would result in traffic hazards, he said. Mr Manes

expressed concerns about some future expansion of the horse operation.

Resident Debbie Malin of 219 Hattertown Road said the Boles property is

well-kept. The proposed arena wouldn't be visible from the street, she said.

Ms Malin said she doesn't understand the level of opposition to the

application.

Resident Cindy Bachman of Great Quarter Road, president of the Newtown Bridle

Lands Association, stressed that the horse operation conducted by the Boles

wouldn't be a "hack stable" in which horses are rented out for casual use.

Resident Thomas Hansen of 16 Aunt Park Lane said he has no problem with

horses, but pointed out that traffic there has increased during the past two

years.

Response

In response to questions raised by commissioners and neighborhood residents,

Mr Smith said, "The Boles have no plans to expand this." The Boles made a

mistake in not previously seeking town permission for their horse operation,

he said.

Ms Boles said nighttime illumination at the site won't pose problems to

neighborhood residents. She stressed horses won't be rented out for casual

trail riding.

"I have no intention of having (horse) shows there," she said.

Ms Boles said she provides horse lessons for people who board horses at her

property and also for the people who lease the use of horses which are kept

there.