Zoning Board of Appeals

CITY OF TORRINGTON ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS MEETING MINUTES March 13, 2023 Present: Marc Trivella, Acting Chair Ken Edwards, Member Christopher Smyth, Member Also Present: Nate Nardi-Cyrus, Assistant City Planner Not Present: James Steck, Member Carrie Vibert, Alternate 1. Call to Order: Marc Trivella called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m. in-person at City Hall Auditorium, Room 218, 140 Main Street, Torrington, CT. The meeting was also conducted via Zoom on-line. 2. Roll Call and Announcements: Mr. Trivella announced he will serve as interim Chair. Mr. Trivella stated present and serving this evening are Board Members Ken Edwards (via zoom), Christopher Smyth (via zoom) and Marc Trivella in person. Mr. Nardi-Cyrus explained that Location Approvals are handled in a different manner than Variances and appeals which need a four member vote to pass. Location Approvals need only a majority vote to pass, which we have this evening. Mr. Nardi-Cyrus provided some history on background approvals of the two applications on this agenda tonight, 37 Migeon Avenue and 563 South Main Street (both Location Approval). The Torrington Zoning Regulations have a requirement for 150 feet of road frontage for a Location Approval. Both applications tonight have less than 150 feet road frontage, however, both have previously approved variances on file allowing less than 150 feet of road frontage. This is because these sites have prior Location Approvals on record. 37 Migeon Avenue had a valid Location Approval, then was switched to a warehouse use, and now the proposal is to go back to a Location Approval use. 3. Election of new Zoning Board of Appeals Officers: Mr. Trivella will serve as Interim Chair for this evening’s meeting. Election of New Officers will appear on the next meeting agenda. 4. Minutes for Approval: a. 12/12/22 MOTION by Mr. Edwards to approve the 12/12/22 minutes, seconded by Mr. Smyth, motion carried with Mr. Trivella voting in favor of approving the minutes. 5. Old Business: None 6. New Business: a. Location Approval Applicant: Baris Kara Location: 37 Migeon Avenue Proposal: Used Car Dealership and General Repairer’s License Mr. Nardi-Cyrus screen shared a site map of the property. Baris Kara appeared before the Board and explained he is currently operating out of 176 East Main Street, and they have outgrown that site and wish to expand their business. 37 Migeon Avenue would have four bays and more space to park vehicles, and their current site has only one bay and limited parking. Discussion followed amongst Board members and Mr. Kara. Mr. Nardi-Cyrus noted Mr. Kara will be at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting later this week with a Site Plan application for this change of use. Mr. Kara said he will be working to improve the appearance of the property with landscaping, and painting the building, etc. MOTION by Mr. Edwards to accept the recommendation to approve Location Approval Applicant: Baris Kara Location: 37 Migeon Avenue Proposal: Used Car Dealership and General Repairer’s License Motion seconded by Mr. Smyth, unanimously approved. b. Location Approval Applicant: Logan Johnson and Steven Ehrhardt III Location: 563 South Main Street Proposal: Used Car Dealership and General Repairer’s License Mr. Nardi-Cyrus screen shared a site map of this location, and provided a brief overview of the proposal. This site was a previous approved Location Approval, and the current applicant is a new owner of the business, necessitating this new Location Approval application. This application would not be necessary if it were a very close family member taking over the business. A Variance was approved in the past for less than 150 feet of road frontage, as this was a historical site. Logan Johnson appeared and stated they will paint the building, and no other modifications are proposed. A new survey was needed as the only map in City records goes back to 1982 when there were gas pumps on site, and those have since been removed. J.E Service Center is their business name. Zoning Board of Appeals Minutes Page 2 of 3 March 15, 2023  MOTION by Mr. Edwards to APPROVE: Location Approval Applicant: Logan Johnson and Steven Ehrhardt III Location: 563 South Main Street Proposal: Used Car Dealership and General Repairer’s License Motion seconded by Mr. Smyth, unanimously approved. 7. Adjournment: MOTION by Mr. Edwards to adjourn at 7:32 p.m., seconded by Mr. Smyth, unanimously carried. _______________ Land Use Office City of Torrington Zoning Board of Appeals Minutes Page 3 of 3 March 15, 2023