Planning & Zoning Commission

CITY OF TORRINGTON PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES September 11, 2024 Present: Greg Mele, Chair Greg Perosino, Vice Chair Donna Greco, Member Donovan Riley, Member (Remote) Diane Carroll, Alternate (Seated for Commissioner Bobinski) Tom Telman, Alternate (Seated for Commissioner Boninski, Remote) Also Present: Tom Telman, Alternate (Remote), Starley Arias, Alternate (Remote, 7:08), Jeremy Leifert, AICP, City Planner Not Present: James Bobinski – Member 1. Call to Order: Chair Greg Mele called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Attendance is by Zoom or in-person at City Hall Auditorium, Room 218, 140 Main Street, Torrington, CT. 2. Attendance/Announcement: Chair Mele opened the meeting at 7:00 pm and announced present and serving this evening in person are Vice Chair Greg Perosino, Donna Greco, seated alternate Diane Carroll and Chairman Greg Mele. Serving remotely via zoom is Donovan Riley. Present via zoom is alternate Tom Telman (not seated). Also present in the auditorium is City Planner Jeremy Leifert as well as applicants and members of the public. 3. Minutes for Approval: a. August 21, 2024 Special Meeting MOTION by Commissioner Perosino to APPROVE the minutes of August 21, 2024. Motion seconded by Commissioner Carroll. Motion passed unanimously, with Commissioner Greco Abstaining. 4. Public Hearings: Torrington Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes – September 11, 2024 Page 1 of 7  Public Hearing beginning at 7:00 p.m., September 11, 2024, 7:00 p.m., City Hall Auditorium, Room 218, 140 Main Street, Torrington, CT a. 1355 East Main Street, Assessor’s Map 137 Block 002 Lot 005 Applicant: Borghesi Building and Engineering Proposal: Special Exception #24-08 and Site Plan Application #1521; Construction of a 72,500 square foot mini storage building and associated site work in an LB-Local Business Zone Chair Mele opened the public hearing at 7:02 and announced present and serving this evening in person are Vice Chair Greg Perosino, Donna Greco, seated alternate Diane Carroll and Chairman Greg Mele. Serving remotely via zoom is Donovan Riley. Present via zoom is alternate Tom Telman (not seated). Also present in the auditorium is City Planner Jeremy Leifert as well as applicants and members of the public. Commissioner Greco read the legal notice into the record. Rob Blanchette appeared on behalf of Borghesi Building and Engineering. He submitted the proof of mailing to the abutting property owners and confirmed that the signs had been posted on East Main Street and Battell Street in accordance with the regulations. Mr Blanchette described the project as proposed in the plans. With the new building footprint, there will be more green space and landscaping vs the old dealership and parking. The building is 4 stories. 12-20 car trips per day are expected based on the numbers of units. He spoke on the architecture of the building and the comments from ARC. The project meets all setback regulations for zoning. There will no longer be access onto East Main – only Battell Street. The building elevations were reviewed by the commission, as well as the interior layout of the storage units. Around 560 units total will be in the building. Mr. Perosino inquired about repurposing of the building. Mr. Blanchette does not believe that many uses will be able to be repurposed in the building due to the way the load-bearing walls are arranged. Dave Utecht, property owner come up and spoke about traffic counts, area storage needs and the research they had done. Mr. Leifert read his memo into the record. Chair Mele asked about bathrooms. There will be one bathroom in the building. No generators will be present. There will be no dumpsters on the site. The landscaping, lighting and stormwater adjustments have been updated in the plans based on staff comments. Mr. Perosino brought up concerns about what is stored in the units and storage of hazardous materials. He would like to see it clear in any lease agreement and posted in the building that anything hazardous or explosive cannot be stored. Comments were opened to the public. Torrington Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes – September 11, 2024 Page 2 of 7  Evan Percoski, 588 Torringford West Street is against the project for traffic. He believes the traffic area is going to be much busier and has concerns of increased traffic and safety on Battell Street. He also has concerns of the trees on the boundary with Kozlak’s Nursery and shade produced by the building. And there are no buildings that height along East Main, so it doesn’t match the neighborhood. He also has concerns about the shade the building will produce over his rooftop solar panels next door. Sheryl Zukowski of 24 Battell Street spoke in opposition due to concerns about stormwater control and the height of the building. Conversation ensued between Mrs. Zukowski and Mr. Blanchette over the design along the mutual property line. The applicants agreed to add a rain garden and additional yard drain along the property line. Kelly Duff of 588 Torringford West Street opposes the development due to the height of the building and possible effects on their rooftop solar panels, traffic on Battell Street and the effect on the plant nursery next door. Chairman Mele asked about historic traffic counts for the old Ford Dealership. There were heavier traffic counts for the dealership than is expected for this building. Hours of operation were also discussed. The applicant and commission agreed on 7am-8pm if approved for public access, as well as no parking signs on the side of the street if approved by the Public Works and Police Traffic. It was noted that the building is proposed at 48 feet – less than the 50-foot maximum. Snow removal was also discussed. There is room for snow storage for a typical storm, but snow will be removed from the site when necessary. Mr. Leifert asked about the height of the dealerships across the street. Mr. Utecht stated that he believes around 40 feet. The commission again discussed the building height and traffic concerns, and felt that based on the building positioning and since the building is under the height and is located in the East Main Street business corridor, the building fits the special exception requirements and considerations. Commissioner Riley believes that the proposal is in compliance with the considerations for special exceptions and is equitable in terms of development. The commission discussed types of development that could be allowed in the zone, and this proposal is less busy and intense of a use. MOTION by Commissioner Greco to APPROVE, with conditions as read into the record and made part of the application file: Location: 1355 East Main Street, Assessor’s Map 137 Block 002 Lot 005 Applicant: Borghesi Building and Engineering Proposal: Special Exception #24-08 and Site Plan Application #1521; Construction of a 72,500 square foot mini storage building and associated site work in an LB-Local Business Zone Torrington Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes – September 11, 2024 Page 3 of 7  Motion seconded by Commissioner Carroll. Motion passed unanimously. Public Hearing beginning at 7:00 p.m., September 25, 2024, City Hall Auditorium, Room 218, 140 Main Street, Torrington, CT b. 150 Church Street, Assessor’s Map 117 Block 006 Lot 006 160 Church Street, Assessor’s Map 117 Block 006 Lot 007 168 Church Street, Assessor’s Map 118 Block 002 Lot 009 Applicant: City of Torrington Proposal: Change of Zoning Map, R6 Residential to DD-Downtown District Chairman Mele noted that this public hearing is scheduled to be opened at the next regularly scheduled meeting on September 25. 5. Old Business: Chairman Mele stated that there is no old business on the agenda for discussion. 6. New Business: Chairman Mele stated that there is no new business on the agenda for discussion. 7. Correspondence: a. Zoning and Blight Violation update Mr. Leifert stated that a memo and enforcement report has been provided to the commission. He mentioned that 1050 East Main Street has poured their sidewalks, but no other work has been done on the site since the last inspection. A letter sent by Corporation Counsel gave the owner until August 15 to complete the work. A follow up with Corporation Counsel is needed. Commissioner Telman stated that it looks like sections of the sidewalk has been poured and removed. Also discussed was 3350 Winsted Road. No agreement has been signed, so we’re back to enforcement. There was a September 1 deadline for a wetlands restoration plan that was not met. The Wetlands Commission upheld a Cease and Desist Order at their meeting last night. Torrington Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes – September 11, 2024 Page 4 of 7  It will take at least until the end of the year to have any wetlands survey data from experts that were hired. The commission discussed their own recourse. It was decided by agreement or members that the commission will not order the owner to shut down operations, but will order that all operations must be outside the wetlands regulated area and barriers installed until a positive wetlands report can be furnished and a special exception is granted. Mr. Leifert will speak with the Assistant Planner about issuing notice to the property owner. b. Lovers Lane Solar Project discussion Chair Mele relayed to people remaining in the audience that this is not a public hearing, so no public comment can be taken regarding this project. Mr. Leifert stated that since this is solar energy project of over one megawatt, the jurisdiction for application review falls solely with the Connecticut Siting Council. However, the commission may review the project and submit comments if they feel any are warranted. Mr. Leifert stated that as with other solar projects, the City’s Land Use staff will, if the project is approved, conduct their own inspections and notify the Northwest Conservation District, who are the assigned site monitors, about any issues. Land Use staff has conducted on site inspections with the District in the past. Mr. Leifert pointed out that the Siting Council review process is generally much more rigorous in terms of professional review. Our review process for this project is limited to design concerns and review of the City’s POCD. The POCD is generally supportive of this type of development. Mr. Leifert stated that he has reviewed the letter from the neighboring condominium association and agrees with many of the concerns. However, individual state agencies are addressing most of the concerns in their review. The commission agreed that a letter will be sent into the Siting Council with some areas of concern. It will be sent to the Commission for review before sending. 8. Adjournment: MOTION by Commissioner Perosino to adjourn the meeting at 8:47 pm. Motion seconded by Commissioner Greco. Motion passed unanimously. Torrington Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes – September 11, 2024 Page 5 of 7