Following five public hearings on the matter, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members on August 2 granted a Danbury builder approval for the as-built plans for Edona Commons, a 26-unit condominium complex at a 4.5-acre site at 95 & 99 Church Hill Road, which contains eight dwellings designated as affordable housing. The P&Z also approved multiple changes to various zoning regulations.

The as-built plans for Edona Commons describe various modifications that were made to the project by the developer after the P&Z granted Dauti Construction LLC a court-ordered approval for the project in June 2011.

P&Z placed three conditions on its endorsement involving the appearance of a three-unit section of the complex adjacent to Church Hill Road. Due to that three-unit structure's orientation on the lot, the façade does not face the street to the south, but faces eastward. A side of the building faces the street.

To make the southern side of the building facing the street more visually interesting, P&Z is requiring that the developer create a pediment covering the full peaked area of the roof that resembles the trim that is positioned above the building's three main doorways, add contrasting-color shutters to several windows, and add flowering bushes to an area near some spruce trees.

During the four earlier hearings on Edona Commons, P&Z members said that the builder had not complied with many of the requirements of the project's approval. The complex is situated on a steep site that overlooks the intersection of Church Hill Road and Dayton Street. Twenty-three units are on an upper level, with three units on a lower level.

In 2009, after years of conflict between the P&Z and Dauti, a court ruled against the P&Z and the Water & Sewer Authority (WSA) in two lawsuits which were brought against them by Dauti Construction. That legal victory led to the court-imposed construction of Edona Commons under the terms of the state's Affordable Housing Appeals Act. Newtown, among other municipalities, is under a state mandate to increase its stock of affordable housing. The site contains eight dwellings designated as affordable housing.

Other Approvals

In other action at the August 2 session, P&Z members approved multiple zoning regulation changes.

Those approved rule changes allow single-family dwellings in the Hawleyville Center Design District (HCDD) zone to be converted into two-family dwellings; modify the signage regulations for duplex-style buildings in the Fairfield Hills Adaptive Reuse (FHAR) zone at Fairfield Hills; remove certain wording concerning "buffer areas," as specified in the special permit provisions of the regulations; and allow municipal buildings as a permitted land use in M-1 (Industrial) zones in view of the town's proposal to acquire 191 South Main Street and the abutting 61 Pecks Lane for conversion into a new police station and possible related facilities.

P&Z also modified the zoning regulations to add wording to the M-2A zoning rules concerning the hours of operation of outdoor sports/recreation facilities in such zones.