The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) met via Zoom for two public hearings and a referral discussion on Thursday, October 1.

An agenda had been submitted more than 24 hours prior to the meeting but had not been posted to the Town of Newtown website.

The continued public hearing for Application 20.09 by Paul Hilario, for a special exception and site development plan for 135-139 Mount Pleasant Road, was the first item scheduled for the evening.

According the agenda, the applicant is seeking a permit for the construction of buildings to store trucks and equipment and to perform repairs, as demonstrated on a set of plans titled “Site Development Plans Prepared for Hilario’s Service Center, Inc.”

However, P&Z Chair Don Mitchell announced that the applicant had requested that the application’s public hearing be tabled until the next regularly scheduled meeting.

“I have to observe that there were some new plans filed today, some new documents filed today, that would make it reasonable to continue this,” Mitchell said. “With their request that this be continued, we can go beyond the normal 35-day limit.”

The motion to move the application’s continued public hearing to the next P&Z meeting, October 15, was approved.

P&Z member Corinne Cox added that she noticed the last time she drove by the location there was a cement wall and asked if the that had been permitted.

Land Use Agency Director of Planning George Benson said he would follow up and see if it was permitted.

A public hearing was also set to be continued for Application 20.07 by the Town of Newtown, for a text amendment to the town’s zoning regulations regarding density calculations for assisted living housing.

Benson said, “We’re not really ready to proceed with it, because I want to make sure we have to fine tune the density numbers… We wanted to revisit that EH10 zone from the original approval years ago, before I was even here, so it’s something that’s a work in progress.”

He added that part of doing the text amendment is because the Town of Newtown wants to develop town owned property at 6 Commerce Road. The property is a total of 2.58 acres, according to the town tax assessor records.

The motion to move the application’s continued public hearing to the next P&Z meeting, October 15, was approved.

Borough Apartments Referral

The next matter was pertaining to a referral from the Newtown Borough Zoning Commission that proposed an amendment to their regulations pertaining to apartments, attached and detached, to single-family houses.

“Our question is whether that is it consistent with the plan of conservation development,” Mitchell said.

The five-page draft document given to the commission to review detailed what the parameters would be for attached apartments and detached apartments.

Mitchell was first to weigh in and said, “In my opinion, the plan of conservation development is replete with suggestions that we increase not only the stock of housing, but the types of housing in Newtown, and especially with all this new COVID restrictions, many kids are moving home, people are having to take care of parents, and so this would allow someone to take their single-family residence, with restrictions, and add an apartment, which connotes a separate entrance, its own cooking facility, and so forth.”

P&Z member Jim Swift asked how this would impact maintaining the aesthetics of the borough.

Mitchell said that was a good point and referenced a provision in the proposal that states, “The accessory apartment combination shall have a design that maintains the appearance of the premises as a single-family house.”

Benson also noted that the town currently has a list of violators of old, illegal apartments that would have to be brought up to code with these regulations in place.

In deciding that the proposal was consistent with the plan of conservation and development, the board voted in favor of approving Referral 20.10 from the Newtown Borough Zoning Commission, for a Text Amendment to the Borough of Newtown Zoning Regulations.

Meeting Time Change

During the Communications portion of the agenda, the commission members discussed the option of meeting in-person with a call-in option or to continue meeting over Zoom.

Members voiced their preference to continue to meet virtually for the time being, due to it being a safer option during the pandemic and that it would allow more members of the public to join/participate.

It was noted that if they met in person, they would have limited spaces available in the room for the public.

Knowing that some meetings generate a lot of public interest, it could result in more people showing up to a meeting than could be let in; those not let in would have to attend virtually, which could potentially mean them calling in from their cars or driving home to call in and missing part of the meeting.

Multiple members also acknowledged Planning Department Secretary Christine O’Neill for her efficiency organizing the virtual meetings and that it has contributed to the success of the virtual meetings.

“You really are doing a great job,” P&Z member Barbara Manville said to O’Neill.

In addition to the P&Z members choosing to continue meeting over Zoom, Manville asked the commission if they would be interested in moving up their meetings from 7:30 pm to 7 pm.

Her fellow members were in favor of it, and the group decided to go forward with meetings starting at 7 pm.

For more information about upcoming Planning and Zoning Commission meetings, visit newtown-ct.gov/planning-zoning-commission.