P&Z Changes Zoning For Hawleyville Parcel

 By Andrew Gorosko

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) has converted the zoning designation for a seven- acre parcel on Hawleyville Road from R-2 (Residential) to HCDD-E (Hawleyville Center Design District-East), a change that would increase the types of land uses allowed there.

P&Z members approved the change of zone for the property at 27 and 31 Hawleyville Road following discussion at a January 29 session.

John and Priscilla Cascone had sought the change of zone for their property. The site lies on the west side of Hawleyville Road, across the street from the Hawleyville Post Office. Currently, the Cascones live in a house at 27 Hawleyville Road, which also contains a painting contracting business. The adjacent 31 Hawleyville Road holds a former chapel, which now contains office space for naturopathic physicians.

In April 2000, the P&Z revamped the zoning designations in sections of Hawleyville in anticipation of future development there. Among those changes, the P&Z created a HCDD-E zone that is comprised of about 23 acres. That zone extends along the east side of Hawleyville Road northward from Interstate 84 to the area north of the Hawleyville Post Office, and also extends along Barnabas Road. Those areas previously had residential and industrial zoning.

Permitted uses in the HCDD-E zone include retail, personal services, banks, offices, restaurants, museums, galleries, meeting halls, places of worship, parking, and transportation terminals. Certain industrial uses also are allowed in the HCDD-E zone through a special exception to the zoning regulations. P&Z members created HCDD-E zoning to strengthen and encourage the redevelopment and enhancement of a Hawleyville village center.

In the past, the P&Z had planned to create a HCDD-W zone for land on the west side of Hawleyville Road, but that zoning change never materialized.

At a January 8 public hearing on the Cascones’ requested change of zone, several residents who live in the nearby Newtown Hunt residential subdivision expressed concern about the request. Those concerns focused on the potential commercialization of the area and its adverse effect on residential property values. The Cascone property lies to the south of the Pond View Drive entrance to Newtown Hunt. Several properties in Newtown Hunt abut the Cascone property.

Architectural Standards

P&Z member Lilla Dean said the P&Z should establish a set of architectural standards that it would use in reviewing development applications for areas with “design district” zoning. Besides the Hawleyville Center Design District, the town also has a Sandy Hook Design District (SHDD) , which focuses on Sandy Hook Center. The P&Z created SHDD zoning in 1995.

 P&Z members were scheduled to meet February 3 to discuss setting architectural standards for such design districts.

P&Z member Jane Brymer said January 29 the historic value of the Cascone property should be protected if it used for other purposes in the future. Architectural standards would help preserve the historic aspects of the property, she said.

Ms Dean noted that although the Cascone property is seven acres, the site has limited development potential due to physical constraints such as the presence of surface water and wet areas.

P&Z Chairman William O’Neil, speaking in favor of a zone change, said he does not expect that converting the Cascone property to HCDD-E zoning would damage nearby residential property values. The amount of land that could be developed under the HCDD-E zoning rules is limited, he said.

Mr O’Neil, however, urged that the P&Z formulate architectural design standards for areas that have design district zoning.

Approval

In their motion approving a HCDD-E zoning designation for the Cascone property, P&Z members stated that the site lies directly across Hawleyville Road from existing commercial properties. The presence of a brook, a floodplain, and wetlands on the Cascone property limit its development potential, according to the P&Z.

The site is bounded on the north by open space, on the south by the Housatonic Railroad’s train tracks, on the west by the recently developed Newtown Hunt, and on the east by Hawleyville Road.

“The zone change will allow mixed uses, which will contribute to the revitalization of the area and strengthen the area’s role as a neighborhood business district,” according to the P&Z.

P&Z members decided that the HCDD-E zoning designation for the Cascone property adds to the general cohesiveness of the area and is consistent with the purpose and intent of HCDD-E zoning.

The P&Z also decided that the zone change is consistent with the town’s 1993 Town Plan of Conservation and Development and with the findings of a 1997 planning study on Hawleyville’s development potential.

The town’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) endorsed the Cascone’s zone change application. The EDC found that rezoning the property would be in keeping with its goal of attracting businesses to Newtown that are compatible with the community character and local quality of life.