Commercial Building Proposed For South Main

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are reviewing a developer’s proposal to build a 6,000-square-foot commercial building at the intersection of South Main Street and Bryan Lane, which would be used for retail stores or office space.

Applicant Robert Mastroni is seeking a special exception to the zoning regulations to construct a two-story structure at 224 South Main Street. The proposed building would face South Main Street but have vehicle access from Bryan Lane. Bryan Lane formerly was known as Washbrook Road. The 1.7-acre site is just north of Sand Hill Plaza. A house formerly occupied the steep site.

The site lies immediately south of the Pootatuck River and is across South Main Street from United Water’s wellfield for its public water supply.

In April 2000, the P&Z had granted approval for local businesswoman Judith Volpe to construct a 6,065-square-foot commercial building at the site, but those plans never materialized. It took several years for Ms Volpe to gain approval to develop the site in view of its presence in the town’s environmentally sensitive Aquifer Protection District (APD).

P&Z members conducted an October 6 public hearing on Mr Mastroni’s construction proposal.

Engineer Larry Edwards, representing Mr Mastroni, told P&Z members that the permit that the P&Z had granted to Ms Volpe for the project has expired, so Mr Mastroni is seeking another permit for his project.

Mr Edwards said that each of the two 3,000-square-foot levels of the proposed building would have ground-level access because the structure would be constructed on a slope. The building would be served by a public water supply, natural gas, and a septic waste disposal system.

P&Z Chairman William O’Neil suggested that the applicant meet with the town’s Design Advisory Board to ensure that the architectural and landscaping aspects of the project conform to the P&Z’s design criteria for such commercial development.

Architect John Ruffalo, representing the applicant, said that each level of the building would have three spaces for tenants, for a total of six tenant spaces. Both stories would face South Main Street. Only the upper story would face Bryan Lane. The structure would have a “residential look,” Mr Ruffalo said.

In response to a query from a neighboring resident to the north concerned about the appearance of the development, Mr Edwards said that the project would have a minimal visual impact on the area.

The site’s steep slopes leading down toward the Pootatuck River create a natural barrier for the project, as does the presence of the river along the site’s boundary, he said.

Mr Edwards told P&Z members he would approach the Conservation Commission, which serves as the town’s aquifer protection review agency, to address certain aquifer-related issues posed by the project. Mr Edwards added that he would seek the Design Advisory Board’s advice on the development.

P&Z members decided to reconvene the public hearing on Mr Mastroni’s construction proposal at an upcoming session.