Goshen Planning & Zoning Commission

9/23/2025
Present:  Jon Carroll (Chair), Lu-Ann Zbinden, Shilo Garceau, Patrick Lucas (Zoom), Cindy Barrett (Zoom), Jared Denis (Zoom, joined 25 minutes into meeting).

The POCD (Plan of Conservation and Development) was refined in the meeting following proposed edits from the Economic Development Commission section.

Carroll suggested using the terminology Goshen’s “Center Business Zone” instead of village center throughout the POCD. Another focus was a paragraph emphasizing business growth without straining emergency services.

The agreed-upon wording, suggested by Lucas, said “Land-use policies must continue to permit local businesses to start up and be sustained; at the same time, policies must be mindful of the loads placed on existing infrastructure.”

There was also a discussion about whether to name individual farms or describe categories of agriculture.

“I think we need to name types of farms that we have,” Carroll said. “And maybe what they promote and what they provide to do that, because it's a wide variety of things. We have, yes, milk and honey, we also have chocolate, we also have eggs, we also have beef, pork, we have beef, vegetables, hay. There are lots of different things, um, that they provide, so I think we should. In my opinion, try and name what the farms are providing as their draw, not an individual farm name.

Musselman addressed PermitLink problems that have since been resolved.

“The ZBA form wasn’t working, and I couldn’t fill out applications on my end for applicants, which is a big problem, because a lot of people don’t want to do it on their end.”

There was also some clarification on the Forsaken Lands recreation site that came up in the Board of Selectmen meeting. “It was brought up that Inlands Wetlands and/or Planning & Zoning had the Forsaken Lands come before us, and I don’t remember ever seeing or having anything to do with it,” Carroll said.

Mussellman explained that “Scott (Olson) asked a question to (First Selectman Todd Carusillo). Todd responded, and it wasn’t accurate, and because the meeting ended abruptly – I was there to talk about a different issue anyway – I wasn’t able to go up and correct the record and discuss that as I was there for.

“We did not approve that, special permits lie with the Board of Selectmen, and it doesn’t reach their criteria for the number of people to be there.”