Zoning Board of Appeals

Zoning Board of Appeals / MINUTES City Municipal Building | Council Chambers 295 Meridian Street, Groton, CT 06340 Wednesday, December 27, 2023 | 7:00 PM Zoning Board of Appeals Chair David Hale, William Blaisdell, Gretchen Gauthier, Lauren Nichols, and Archie Swindell Chairman Hale, meeting by Zoom, ceded the chair to Vice Chair, Archie Swindell for today’s meeting. No councilors objected. Vice Chairman Swindell opened the meeting at 7:34PM. I. ROLL CALL: Present: Chair David Hale, William Blaisdell, Gretchen Gauthier, and Archie Swindell were in attendance. Also present for the City of Groton was City Planner Leslie Creane. Absent: Lauren Nichols A quorum was present. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the minutes from October 25, 2022 meeting. Motion to approve the minutes as submitted was made by Councilor Hale and seconded by Councilor Blaisdell. No changes were made. The minutes were approved unanimously by voice vote, 4-0-0. III. PUBLIC HEARING Application #23-12-01, 14 S. Prospect Street, Barry and Jennifer Tuohy applicants. (PIN 1687075975631): Installation of an accessory dwelling unit would require a variance for the rear yard set-back from the 25 foot requirement to 5 feet. a. Barry Tuohy presented the application for the construction of an accessory dwelling in the rear yard of 14 S. Prospect Street. Mr. Tuohy outlined their process of consulting with neighbors and the city of Groton before beginning the application process. This included the approval of the Eastern Point Historic District Commission (EPHDC). An Improvement Location Survey by J. Dempsey Associates was included with the application. An architectural elevation sketches by Russell E. Sergeant, A.I.A. Architect was presented to the Board by Mr. Tuohy. b. City Planner Leslie Creane reiterated the EPHDC approved the application with the stipulation that the Zoning Board of Appeals must also approve the zoning variance. Ms. Creane informed the Board that all city services including Fire, Groton Utilities, Sewer, and Health departments found the application to be in compliance with their respective regulations. Also included in the City’s file for the application were letter of support from all abutting neighbors. c. Councilor Gauthier questioned if the City Clerk had submitted a notice to the Town of Groton for the application to vary the set-back, since the affected 1  Zoning Board of Appeals / MINUTES City Municipal Building | Council Chambers 295 Meridian Street, Groton, CT 06340 area would be within 500 feet of a neighboring town since that documentation had not been included in the application package provide to the Board. Ms. Creane assured the board that the certified letter had been sent by the City Clerk to the Town of Groton and that all associated paperwork was in the city file for the application. d. Ms. Creane assured the Board that the State of Connecticut public act 21-29 allows the use of accessory dwelling units (ADUs). This supersedes previous town regulations against ADUs, provided they meet other zoning requirements. e. After no further discussion, Councilor Blaisdell moved to close the public hearing. Seconded by Councilor Hale. With no discussion, the hearing was closed by unanimous voice vote, 4-0-0. IV. OLD BUSINESS There was no old business before the committee. V. NEW BUSINESS Application #23-12-01 review: Councilor Hale made a motion to approve application #23-12-01 for a variance to allow a 5 foot set-back from the back yard property line at 14 S. Prospect Street to allow for an Accessory Dwelling Unit. The motion was seconded by Councilor Blaisdell. With no further discussion made, Vice Chairman Swindell called for a vote to approve the application. 4 yes – 0 no – 0 abstentions. The application was approved VI. EXECUTIVE SESSION (none) VII. ADJOURNMENT Having no further business before the Board, Vice-Chairman Swindell called for a motion to adjourn. David Hale motioned to adjourn, seconded by William Blaisdell. No further discussion was made. Motion approved unanimously, 4-0-0 at 8:23PM. Respectfully submitted, Gretchen Gauthier, ZBA Secretary. 2