Members of Groton panel consider resignation

Issue of combining planning and zoning commissions causing consternation in town

Groton — Members of the Planning Commission may resign if Groton approves an ordinance to abolish the Zoning Commission and transfer its duties to one combined Planning and Zoning Commission, the planning commission chairman told the Town Council this week.

The council is considering the change to speed up the approval process and encourage economic development.

But Jeffrey Pritchard, chairman of the Planning Commission, said the change won’t streamline the review process and could prompt commissioners to resign due to the heavier workload.

“Volunteers for town government positions are hard to replace in the current environment,” he said.

The Zoning Commission is in the midst of revising Groton’s zoning regulations, and that will take longer if another board must take up the task, Pritchard said.

The Planning Commission recommended Tuesday that the Town Council postpone a decision about combining commissions until the zoning rewrite is done and the town has studied its approval process.

But Susan Bailey, chairwoman of the Groton Business Association, said her group supports the change. If the town combines commissions, the association would encourage current commissioners to keep serving in their roles “to promote decisions in the expedited manner today’s world requires,” she said.

A market analysis aimed at boosting economic growth recommended that the bodies be combined. If approved, the combined Planning and Zoning Commission would have seven regular members and three alternates, all of whom would serve five-year terms. The existing Planning Commission would become the new board, with any new members appointed by the Town Council.

Zoning Commission Chairwoman Sue Sutherland said the commission should be allowed to finish its project updating zoning regulations. Combining the bodies won’t speed the approval process, she said, because both boards already must work within the timelines imposed by state statutes.

Eugenia Villagra, a resident who spoke for herself and ten others, pointed out that commissioners volunteer their time to benefit the town.

“The suddenness, acrimony and obvious eagerness of the Town Council to disband this dedicated and expert group of zoning volunteers was disappointing, and will be hard to forget,” she said.