The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Landowner pulls zone change plan in Shelton
SHELTON — As opposition continued to mount, the owner of nearly 7 acres of land — three parcels with frontage on both Constitution Boulevard South and Weybosset Street — has withdrawn a request to rezone the area, at least for now.
Attorney Dominick Thomas, representing property owner David Chuckta, submitted a request to withdraw the application, which was accepted by the Planning and Zoning Commission at its meeting Wednesday.
More than a dozen residents voiced opposition to the rezone request during the commission’s first public hearing on the application last month. The hearing was to be continued Wednesday, and residents said they planned to submit a petition against the plan signed by more than 200 people.
Thomas would not comment on why the application was withdrawn.
When asked if another plan would be submitted to the commission, Thomas stated, “we are in discussions with land use staff.”
Chuckta’s application sought to rezone the parcels, all of which are abutting, from the present R1 and R2 to R3, which would allow for denser development. The parcels are also bounded by Ridge Lane to the north and Sunset Drive to the south.
Thomas, during the initial public hearing last month, told the commission that if the zone change request is approved, the plan is to file for subdivisions allowing for future development.
Nearby residents called on the commission to deny the application, saying it would be too dense for the residential neighborhood and could lead to the destruction of one of the final pieces of greenspace left in the downtown area, the Ivy Brook corridor, which is now vacant, wooded land.
Residents also voiced concern about the potential increase in traffic, which could prove dangerous for the families with children along that stretch.
Thomas had stated that no final plans had been developed for the site and stated that the request is for a zone change. He said the owners are working with Planning and Zoning staff on what is the best developmental fit for the area.
The Conservation Commission also opposed the plan, saying in a letter to Planning and Zoning that changing the zoning would allow for “more intense development around the Ivy Brook headwaters and less open space would be required.”
Conservation Commission Chair Tom Harbinson, in the letter, stated that the city has made major efforts in the past to preserve the Ivy Brook corridor, which commissioners said has a fish population and flows to the Housatonic River.
“Let’s be sure to undertake efforts to preserve the wetlands and the headwaters of Ivy Brook, a designated greenway in our open space plan, and the shaded buffer that is required to preserve aquatic habitat,” Harbinson’s letter stated. “Down-zoning at this site is not a wise course of action.”