Zone Change Request is DOA

The gymnasium was the venue of choice for the meeting once again as a larger than normal crowd arrived for Monday night's meeting, the majority of whom came to hear the Commission's decision on whether to grant a zone change request that would open the door to an apartment complex development on properties located at 185 West Road.

As it turned out, no decision needed to be made.

At the outset of the meeting, PZC Chairman Arlo Hoffman announced receipt of an April 21 letter from applicant Matthew Chapman requesting withdrawal of the application. Chapman's request was promptly granted, a decision which met with a round of applause from the audience.

Hoffman said he personally was not surprised by the request.

"In the past when we've seen an applicant make such a request, it usually means they listened to the concerns that were raised," he said.

He added that if the applicant decided to make a new application for the zone change, he would need to come before the Commission again and another public hearing would need to be held.

"[The application] could come back someday, but for now, it's dead," he said.

From the outset, the conceptual plan for 88 one-bedroom and 84 two-bedroom apartments dispersed between 22 buildings on the east side of West Road and abutting Miller Lane had been met with significant opposition from the public.

Objections ran from increased concerns about traffic along Route 83, potential negative impacts on property values, concerns about the  impact on the school system and a fear that the development would stress town services and the town's sewer capacity. The argument was also made that renters are less likely to invest in the community or to vote in local elections.

However, Don Poland, the planning consultant speaking on behalf of the application had argued that the apartment complex would make a good transition between commercial and residential areas and would provide much needed affordable housing for young adults and seniors who wished to live in town. Poland also said the added residential base created by apartment dwellers would support the growth of commercial development.

"[The opposition] did force a super-majority decision," said Hoffman, referring to the petition to deny the zone change brought forth by Miller Lane resident Louis Corsino at the February 28 meeting. 

If at least 30 percent of residents within 500' of a proposed development petition to deny an application, a super-majority of the Commission is required for approval. The petition submitted by Corsino had 250 signatures, well over the minimum.  

Had the Commission approved the zone change, the applicant would still have needed to come back for a special permit for the development, Hoffman said.