Date: Fri 14-Feb-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-laundermat-Pizza-Palace

Full Text:

Laundermat Proposed For The Back Of The Pizza Palace Building

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Soap Box, Inc, is seeking Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) approval to

operate a laundermat in a section of the building occupied by Pizza Palace of

Newtown at 65 Church Hill Road.

Louis Sproviero of Brookfield, president of Soap Box, presented his proposal

to P&Z members at a February 6 public hearing.

Mr Sproviero operates five laundermats in the area - two in Danbury, and one

each in Brookfield, Woodbury and New Milford. Newtown does not now have a

laundermat.

There is a local need for a laundermat, Mr Sproviero told P&Z members. The

proposed facility would not be operating until it could discharge its

wastewater into the municipal sewer system, possibly late this year.

Soap Box also would accept "drop bundles," in which customers drop off their

laundry and have it done by an attendant after which the customers retrieve

it, Mr Sproviero said.

Also, the laundermat would accept items to be dry cleaned. After the clothing

is dry cleaned off the premises, the garments would be returned to the

laundermat for customer pick up, he said. The combination of laundry and dry

cleaning services would make for a successful laundermat, Mr Sproviero said.

The 2,000-square foot commercial space at the rear of Pizza Palace would hold

26 washing machines and ten double dryers. Hours of operation would be 5 am to

10 pm, seven days a week. An attendant would be present daily from 8 am to 6

pm.

The busiest times of the week for a laundermat are the daytime hours on

Saturday and Sunday, during which a third of the week's business may be done,

Mr Sproviero said.

Parking

Engineer Dennis McMorrow of Carroccio-Covill & Associates, Inc, of Litchfield,

representing Soap Box, said the biggest issue facing the applicant appears to

be vehicle parking.

It is unclear how many patron seats are located in Pizza Palace, he said,

adding there have been conflicting reports regarding the number of seats,

ranging from 78 to 98. The number of seats in the restaurant, along with the

number of employees working there, are factors in a zoning formula that

specifies how many parking spaces are needed for the property.

If necessary, several new parking spaces could be created on the site, Mr

McMorrow said.

P&Z member Heidi Winslow pointed out that Pizza Palace has a busy food

take-out service on Friday nights and Saturday nights. During those times,

cars are illegally parked on the premises, she said.

Traffic engineer Irving Chann of I.K. Chann Associates of Wilton, representing

Soap Box, said that after a laundermat is in operation at 65 Church Hill Road,

traffic service levels would remain unchanged nearby.

Mr Chann said his conclusion is based on data which he used to create a

traffic report on the effect Newtown Hardware and Drug Center Pharmacy, both

of 61 Church Hill Road, would have on area traffic flow. Those businesses

opened next door to Pizza Palace in 1995.

The presence of a laundermat behind Pizza Palace would not create traffic

hazards, Mr Chann said.

In a letter to P&Z, Zoning Enforcement Officer William Nicholson said parking

spaces on the site do not appear adequate. Mr Nicholson added that commercial

sign violations by Pizza Palace should be rectified as a condition of

approving a laundermat.

Attorney Robert Hall, representing Soap Box, said he will contact the owner of

65 Church Hill Road in seeking to resolve the various issues raised by the

application.

"Obviously we've got some issues that have got to be addressed," he said.

P&Z member James Boylan suggested Soap Box contact Newtown Hardware to learn

if the two businesses could work together to resolve parking inadequacies at

the Pizza Palace site.

Public Comment

Two residents had comments about Soap Box's application. Resident Jack Bestor,

of 24 Walnut Tree Hill Road, said 65 Church Hill Road appears to be a "foolish

place" to have a laundermat, noting the parking lot there becomes congested

with traffic.

It could be difficult to get a fire truck to an emergency at a laundermat, he

said. He asked whether a laundermat there would be a target for crime, adding

police should consider if a laundermat is a valid land use at that location.

The presence of a laundermat behind Pizza Palace would create more traffic

congestion along Church Hill Road, he said.

Mr Bestor said he is concerned about any possible interconnection of the

parking lots for Pizza Palace and Newtown Hardware, saying such an approach

could lead to "strip development."

The presence of Drug Center Pharmacy and Newtown Hardware has worsened traffic

problems in the area, Mr Bestor said. The nearby railroad overpass causes

traffic problems due to its low clearance and the narrow road running beneath

it, he said.

Continuing residential development continually increases traffic flow on

Church Hill Road, he said.

Mr Bestor called for an independent traffic study for the laundermat

application. An entirely new study should be performed instead of one which is

based on old traffic information, he said.

Resident Penny Meek, of Butterfield Road, said having a laundermat open for

business in the early morning hours before an attendant arrives would pose

public safety problems.

P&Z Chairman John DeFilippe said a number of questions must be resolved

concerning the Soap Box application, including how regulatory problems with

signs advertising Pizza Palace can be resolved; how many employees work at

Pizza Palace; and how many parking spaces would be needed for the operation of

Pizza Palace and a laundermat at the same site.

Mr DeFilippe said Soap Box must provide a letter from the WPCA stating the

laundermat could connect to the municipal sewer system. Mr DeFilippe said he

will refer the application to police and fire officials for their comments.

At Mr Hall's request, P&Z continued the public hearing on the laundermat

application until March 6.