Date: Fri 11-Aug-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Sandy-Hook-SHDD-zoning

Full Text:

Sandy Hook Zoning Changes Draw Support At Hearing

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

Sandy Hook businessmen and residents at an August 3 public hearing expressed

general support for proposed zoning rule changes intended to economically

revitalize Sandy Hook Center.

Some of the about 25 people who attended the Planning and Zoning Commission

(P&Z) hearing were enthusiastic about the commission's proposal to rezone

Sandy Hook Center and to liberalize zoning regulations for it to stimulate

commercial activity. Others, however, questioned or opposed some aspects of

the proposed new rules.

P&Z members didn't act on the proposed rule changes, saying they will do so at

a future session.

Bill McAllister, a Woodbury resident and the owner of Sandy Hook Video at 1

Glen Road, said that if implemented, the zoning changes will benefit Sandy

Hook and the entire town. He termed the proposals "a good move toward

revitalization and moving forward."

"There is an effort here to make the Sandy Hook section a premier section in

the town of Newtown, if not the region," he said. "We need a shot in the arm

down there. This is what's going to do it for us. I think we need to see this

approved," Mr McAllister said.

Mr McAllister endorsed the P&Z's proposal to allow residential apartments to

be located above businesses in Sandy Hook Center as a way of providing young

people with places to live.

Alcohol Sales

Ray Costanzo, a Trumbull resident and the proprietor of One Hundred Church

Hill, a bar and restaurant at 100 Church Hill Road, objected to proposed

zoning rules which would allow hotels and motels in Sandy Hook Center. Mr

Costanzo also objected to a proposed rule which would waive the existing

restriction on restaurants selling alcohol less than 300 feet from churches

and schools in Sandy Hook Center.

"You could have a 'strip bar' right next to a church. We don't want this," Mr

Costanzo told residents at the hearing.

Allowing new restaurants to open in Sandy Hook Center is all right, provided

that they aren't allowed to serve alcohol, he said.

The P&Z's proposed rule changes would allow only full-service restaurants,

which serve alcohol for consumption on the premises, to be located closer than

300 feet to schools and churches. Such full service restaurants could have

outdoor service, but wouldn't be allowed to have drive-through facilities or

outdoor entertainment.

Doug Holcomb of 9 Engleside Terrace voiced his support for the P&Z's

proposals. "I'd like to see this become a much more viable neighborhood," he

said of Sandy Hook Center.

Bill McDonough of 84 Edgelake Drive said there are already enough bars in

Sandy Hook. Mr McDonough said he moved to Sandy Hook in 1985 to get away from

the commercial hubbub of Danbury. Of Sandy Hook, he said "I don't want to see

it like Route 25. I don't want to see it like Route 7."

In Decline

Erwin Potter of 25 Washington Avenue, a landscape architect who owns

commercial property in Sandy Hook Center, said of the proposed rules "I think

this is one of the most progressive things this board has done."

The fortunes of Sandy Hook Center have declined in recent years due to the

many existing town rules and regulations which restrict development there, he

said.

Many second stories in Sandy Hook Center are vacant due to existing

restrictions against their use, he said.

Mr Potter spoke in favor of the P&Z's proposed "shared parking" concept for

Sandy Hook Center which would allow parking for businesses to be combined to

improve vehicular and pedestrian circulation.

Business owners will find it in their own best interests to cooperate with one

another in improving Sandy Hook Center, he said, urging that the P&Z approve

the proposed zoning changes.

The proposed changes show that the town wants Sandy Hook Center to improve, he

said. He termed such regulatory changes a positive approach for attracting

good development. Allowing mixed-use development will improve the center, he

added.

Mr Potter said the P&Z's proposal to combine three existing zones in Sandy

Hook Center into one zone known as the Sandy Hook Design District (SHDD) would

serve as a mechanism to prevent commercial sprawl. The SHDD zone would be

centered on the intersection of Church Hill Road, Washington Avenue, Riverside

Road and Glen Road.

George Greytak of 47 Buttonball Drive said he opposes changing the minimum

300-foot separation rule between alcohol establishments and schools and

churches.

Also, parking arrangements mentioned in the proposed zoning changes should be

reviewed further by the P&Z, he said. Sandy Hook Center needs to be

revitalized, he said, noting that it was sad to see the Red Brick General

Store on Glen Road go out of business.

Robert Ashley of New Milford, who with Lou Bastos owns the building that

formerly housed the Red Brick General Store, said he supports the P&Z's

proposed rule changes for Sandy Hook Center. Closing the store last year after

being in business there for 17 years was painful, Mr Ashley said.

Parking Is The Issue

Ray Ruzek of 17 Maltbie Road who has owned property in Sandy Hook Center since

1982 applauded the P&Z's efforts to revitalize the area.

The proposed zoning changes, however, could stand some improvements in how

they handle parking, he said, terming parking one of the area's major

problems. Mr Ruzek questioned whether commercial property owners would be

willing to tie up the uses of their properties for shared parking ventures for

periods of 10 to 20 years. "Parking is really the big issue," he said, asking

P&Z members to study the topic further.

Morgen McLaughlin of McLaughlin Vineyards, Inc, on Alberts Hill Road spoke in

favor of the proposed rule changes.

Attractions exist in the center that can be developed for visitors' use, she

said. Rocky Glen State Park is an excellent location for mountain biking, and

the Pootatuck River is an attractive natural feature, she added. The area

needs more restaurants, according to Ms McLaughlin.

She suggested New Preston Village and Washington Depot as models for what

Sandy Hook Center could become.

The major problem in the center is providing sufficient parking for

businesses, she said. Ms McLaughlin urged that the town begin thinking in

terms of municipal parking for the area. Ms McLaughlin suggested that

Mclaughlin Vineyards be allowed to place a wine tasting room in Sandy Hook

Center.

The intent of the proposed zoning rules is to maximize the usability of

existing buildings as well as legitimizing existing land uses which violate

the current zoning regulations. P&Z members are seeking to create an area with

public walkways, bicycle paths, shared off-street parking lots and landscaped

public spaces.

The proposals are intended to encourage diverse, compatible land uses that

reinforce the area's heritage as a historic mixed-use hamlet. The proposed

rules are keyed to emphasizing the area's pedestrian scale, natural resources

and historic features.