Commission on the City Plan

MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING COMMISSION ON THE CITY PLAN FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 23 UNION STREET ** BASEMENT CONFERENCE ROOM ** NORWICH, CT A. CALL TO ORDER: Frank Manfredi called at the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. B. ROLL CALL AND SEATING OF ALTERNATES: Frank Manfredi, Les King & Swarnjit Singh Bhatia were present and seated. C. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Extension Request for SDP#942 – Extension of Bromley Lane, M&A Holdings, LLC Attorney Glenn Carberry, TCORS, represented his client M&A Holdings. He went over his letter dated September 17, 20018. He explained that the project consists of construction of a road that when built will meet City road standards. The proposed road is an extension of School Avenue off of Route 97 in Occum and bisects his client’s property to connect with an abandoned road, Bromley Lane which extends to Canterbury Tpke. He gave a brief overview about how Bromley Lane and another parcel of land were conveyed to his client form the City and NCDC. Atty. Carberry also discussed the CT General Statutes and Norwich Zoning Regulation sections which allow for the granting of an extension for up to 14 years from date of approval. He explained that there has been recent interest in his client’s adjacent property for commercial use and that having this road approval still valid will demonstrate to interested parties that the area is ready for development. He stated that should a project show up, they want to be able to accommodate it. He stated that potential uses of his client’s property could include a business park or other similar commercial enterprises due to the prime location off the highway, size of the parcels and existence of utilities. Deanna Rhodes, City Planner, then elaborated on recommendations for conditions of approval to be considered by the Commission. She added that the City and Public Works Department have been working with the owner of this project and that the road extension design will possibly change from the configuration shown and require new approvals. She reminded the Commission that the IWWCC approval for the project has expired, but that since the request is not a new application, but an extension of an existing approval, it doesn’t not require their attention at this time. However, the owner is aware that they cannot move forward without a new IWWCC permit. Les King made a MOTION TO APPROVE AN EXTENSION FOR SDP#942 – Extension of Bromley Lane, to August 15, 2020 with the following conditions: That an appropriate bond is in place for the project; that this extension is the final extension that can be granted; and that no site disturbance or construction activities of any kind such as clearing, tree cutting, grubbing,  stumping etc. will take place on the site and that no zoning permit will be requested for any such work until appropriate wetlands permits or other approvals are in place for any regulated areas of the property. The motion was seconded by Swarnjit Singh Bhatia. The Motion passed unanimously. 2. Discuss Village District Recommendation regarding LED Light Fixtures in Norwichtown Village District – NPU Application Ms. Rhodes went over the details of her Village District Review of the proposal. She then distributed the specifications for the new LED light fixtures that are currently being installed throughout the City, and shared specs for other decorative light fixtures that were provided by NPU. She said that she had been working with NPU regarding determining where decorative lighting should be installed in the City. She then read the recommendation from the Historic District Commission regarding the fixture types and locations for installation of decorative lighting. A discussion then ensued. The Commission members decided that they want at least a letter submitted from NPU that explains the project which includes a specified time frame for potential replacement of fixture heads being installed with more decorative ones. Once received by the City Planner, they will consider the request at a future meeting. Ms. Rhodes reminded them that time is of the essence as the LED light replacement program is occurring at this time. They agreed that they would be available for a special meeting on short notice to discuss this matter. Ms. Rhodes stated she will follow up with NPU. D. ADJOURNMENT: A motion was made to adjourn at 1:00 pm by Les King, The motion was seconded by Swarnjit Singh Bhatia. The Motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Deanna L. Rhodes