Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) met on September 1 in the Council Chambers, to review a CGS § 8-24 referral from the Town of Newtown.

The referral was for approval of a lot line exchange for properties located at 78 and 82 Waterview Drive.

Members present were chairman Dennis Bloom, Corrine Cox, vice chairman Roy Meadows, Gregory Rich, Brian Leonardi, and David Rosen, as well as Land Use Agency Director of Planning George Benson.

Benson informed the group, “The §8-24 referrals are anything that the town is going to do as far as transferring property or building roads or bridges — this is a minor thing, but usually the §8-24s are building a school. It comes to you for an opinion, basically.”

He added that the commissioners can voice characteristics that they agree or disagree with.

As for the lot line revision aspect, Benson said, “We have probably done ten of these along the lake, where there are very small lots.”

He noted that Waterview Drive is a part of a complex of roads that the Town of Newtown took ownership of about five or more years ago.

“Along with those roads, like Waterview Drive … there are little sections of property that go down to the lake or old access ways that were put in, back in the 1930s when they first subdivided the land before we had zoning,” Benson said.

He explained that this referral is coming to P&Z because the 78 Waterview Drive homeowner’s well went dry and the new well would need to be on town property.

“What we are doing is giving both property owners half the land … It’s not worth anything to the town. It’s not worth anything to anyone else,” Benson said.

Doing this would make both properties compliant with zoning.

Benson said the alternative would be to give the property owner a lease to use the town property for his well.

After a brief discussion among commissioners, they felt this would be helpful for both the town and residents involved. The P&Z voted to approve the referral and it unanimously passed.

“We try to work with the people and help them out … it solves a lot of problems,” Benson said for situations such as this.

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Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.