Following a public hearing during which nearby residents voiced both opposition and support, the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) has unanimously approved a Naugatuck couple’s proposal to develop a winery/vineyard on a hillside along Pole Bridge Road in Sandy Hook.

On April 18, P&Z Chairman Don Mitchell, Jim Swift, Barbara Manville, Roy Meadows, and Benjamin Toby voted in favor of the project submitted for the steeply sloped 41-acre site at 56 Pole Bridge Road by Ardian Llomi and Neviana Zhgaba. The couple owns the property. The approval is effective on May 11.

On April 4, the P&Z held an initial hearing that nearby residents attended to learn about the project and voice their concerns about such development. At that session, the P&Z requested a range of technical information on the project, which the applicant later submitted, including responses to questions raised by town agencies.

Following the second public hearing on April 18, through their affirmative vote, the P&Z granted the applicants a special zoning permit and a site development plan approval. The land is in an R-2 (Residential) zone on the east side of Pole Bridge Road, just south of that street’s intersection with Bancroft Road. Pole Bridge Road, which runs parallel to Interstate 84, links Bancroft Road to Berkshire Road (Route 34).

The project will include the construction of an approximately 4,000-square-foot barn-like building to hold a winery/tasting room, a two-story house for the owners, an 800-foot-long paved driveway, parking spaces for 21 vehicles, and areas for the cultivation of wine grapes for wine-making. The land already holds some grapevines.

Following the April 18 public hearing, but before the vote, P&Z members discussed the farm winery/vineyard proposal.

Mr Mitchell observed, “I think it’s a good (land) use. It promotes agriculture. It’s low intensity... I don’t see this [land use][ as a significant traffic generator.”

Mr Mitchell said of the planned wine tasting room, “This is not a place for drinkers to go. It’s a leisure activity.”

Town Planning Director George Benson told P&Z members that if the land were not used for a winery, it might eventually be developed as a residential subdivision, which might hold as many as 15 to 18 single-family houses under the terms of the P&Z’s Open Space Conservation Subdivision (OSCS) development regulations.

Mr Meadows said he favors the land being put to agricultural use. He said he expects a winery would generate less traffic in the area during rush hour than would a residential subdivision.

Mr Swift commented that residents living in a potential new subdivision might use more water than would be used at a winery/vineyard. Water supplies in that area are provided by individual domestic water wells.

Mr Benson said that under the P&Z’s current regulations, “big events,” such as weddings, would not be allowed at the winery. Such events, however, potentially could be allowed there if the P&Z creates rules which would allow “special-event permits” to be issued, he said.

Public Comment

During the public comment section of the April 18 hearing preceding the P&Z vote, members of the public offered varied views on the project.

Resident Charles Zukowski said that the planned 12-foot-wide paved residential driveway would be a better accessway for the site in environmental terms than would a 20-foot-wide paved road, which typically would provide access for a commercial project.

Suzanne Davenport of 26 Pole Bridge Road told P&Z members that the presence of a winery could adversely affect the neighborhood in terms of decreased property values, a diminished water supply, and increased traffic.

Ms Davenport said that if a drought were to occur, it could result in the need for agricultural watering, which could adversely affect the water supplies of nearby residential properties. Ms Davenport suggested that the site be used for growing grapes, but that any wine making occur at some other location.

“Traffic is my main issue,” she said, adding that traffic traveling to and from a winery could be heavy at times. Ms Davenport noted that the intersection of Pole Bridge Road and Berkshire Road, through which many patrons of the winery likely would drive, is a hazardous intersection. Many traffic accidents occur there, she said, in calling for the applicant to have a formal traffic study performed as part of the development application.

William Brown of 9 Pole Bridge Road said, “This [project] is just going to create a ‘monster’ in the way of traffic [traveling] on Pole Bridge Road.” People drive through stop signs without stopping when traveling on that road, he said. He listed the additional traffic in the area, plus speeding, as his concerns about the project.

Sandy Ferris of 33 Pole Bridge Road told P&Z members that she grew up on the development site when it was being farmed in the past. Three generations of her family owned that land before the family sold it, she said. A winery could serve an educational purpose for people who want to learn about wine making, she added.

If the property does not become a winery, then it likely would be developed as a residential subdivision, resulting in the presence of many people and autos, Ms Ferris said.

Sean Flynn of 10 Watch Hill Road, whose property abuts the development site, said that he and his wife fully support the proposed winery/vineyard.

“It’s a great thing for the community,” Mr Flynn said. Residentially developing the site would be a worse option, he added.

Mr Toby, the P&Z member, commented that he lives near the Alberts Hill Road property that formerly served as McLaughlin Vineyards. The presence of that site favorably contributes to the pastoral aspect of the Alberts Hill Road area, he said.

Attorney Ward Mazzucco, representing the applicant, told P&Z members that if a winery is not built, the land could become the site of subdivision with a dozen or more houses, whose presence would be more disruptive to the area than a winery.

Under the terms of the P&Z’s approval for the project, winery/vineyard tours would be offered to the public. The winery would provide free samples of wine made on the premises for tastings by visitors and prospective retail customers. That wine also would be sold by the glass for consumption on the premises. Such wine also would be sold to customers in sealed bottles for consumption off the premises. Such business activity will be allowed by the P&Z provided that the facility has a state farm winery manufacturer’s permit.