Goshen Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting Erupts During Public Comments On ‘Forsaken Lands’ Event

10/28/25
Present: Chair Jon Carroll, Vice Chair Lu-Ann Zbinden, Commissioner Shilo Garceau and Alternates Jim Withstandley and Jared Denis. Absent were Patrick Lucas and Cynthia Barrett. Denis was seated in Lucas’ place.

On Oct. 28, the Goshen Planning & Zoning Commission held its regular meeting with an agenda focused primarily on continuing their work on the 2026 Plan of Conservation & Development (POCD). Seeing there were a number of residents in attendance who wished to address the Commission, Chair Carroll ask the Commissioners to accommodate them and revise the agenda to hear Public Comments first.

Former 1st Selectman Bob Valentine then took the podium to voice his anger over the handling of the Forsaken Lands outdoor haunted walk-through event at 54 Bare Hill Rd. The event ran on 12 weekend nights from late September to Nov. 1, and included what has been described by neighbors as bright lights, loud music, and disturbing sound effects such as chain saw revving, train horns, and recorded screaming that continued past 10 p.m. An estimated 50-100 cars were reportedly parked on the property during each night’s event, at least some of them improperly, in a regulated wetlands area. (Note: See Inland Wetlands Commission meeting article.)

“This Forsaken Lands event that has been going on every weekend since the end of September is completely and totally contrary to your regulations,” Valentine stated. “So what we have here is we have a clear violation that's been going on for six months and nothing's been done at all. And these people who are in the audience had to deal with this and still have to deal with it. And so what I asked of Spencer [Musselman, Land Use Enforcement Officer,] yesterday is for a Cease and Desist to be issued on this. What I'm here tonight for is to see that that actually happens because it's all of your responsibilities, each and every one of you, to enforce the regulations of this town... and you are derelict in that responsibility”.

Pointing to Chairman Jon Carroll, he continued, “and you as chairman should have done something a long time ago and I want your assurance that you're going to enforce the zoning regulations, that you're going to issue a Cease and Desist.”

The commissioners claimed they were unaware of any issues until a letter of complaint was received on the day of the meeting. “We were not derelict of something we did not know about, and this is the first time we heard about it,” Carroll said.

But when Bare Hill Road resident Clyde Breakell later addressed the Commission, he contradicted Carroll’s assertion, claiming he had spoken with Carroll in April. His property abuts Stango’s to the west. Addressing Carroll directly, he said: “You told me you're protected under the umbrella of Right to Farm. That is not farming. That's what you told me on the phone. That's all I got in the half hour I spent talking with you.”

Note: Carroll later told The Goshen News: “I received a phone call from Clyde. But at that time, he was talking about millings being put in the woods. and other debris items, if I remember correctly, like car parts and or pieces and other maybe appliances. I referred him to Spencer and/or Inland Wetlands as far as those types of things go… And it was not within the jurisdiction of the Planning and Zoning Commission itself.”

Bear Hill Road is in an RA-5 Residential agricultural zone. “I'll tell you what, I don't live there”, Valentine continued. As you all know, I live down the road, but I'm in an RA5 zone. And if you can do that,” he said, pointing to each of the commissioners, “you're in an RA5 zone. You're not. You are. She is. And if it can happen at the end of Bare Hill Road, why can't it happen next to you? Or you? Or anyone else? Or me? This is exactly why we have zoning regulations, and if I sound upset, I am…I want to know that this is not going to continue next year or next month or in the Spring or whatever. These things aren't allowed.”

Musselman responded, “So we have a new town counsel. I spoke with him today. I prepared a document. He's reviewing it now. And by the end of the week, we'll have something sent out regarding this.”

Note: As of the time of this writing, some 13 days later, the matter remains in the hands of the Town Counsel. See accompanying article “Forsaken Lands Event Raises Regulatory Questions”.

During Clyde Breakell’s comments he said State Police were called to complain about noise after 10 pm, but he was told they’re not coming. Goshen does not have a noise ordinance. “And there's another occasion where I got up at 10:30 because I had forgotten to take a medication, probably for my blood pressure,” Breakell continued. “After this all started, that's when my blood pressure became a problem. It's causing health problems for me.” He was disturbed by the noise from a generator for the event’s lights left running until midnight.

A letter of complaint from Bare Hill Road resident Steven Guletzky was also read into the record.

Regarding the complaint of parking in wetlands areas, Musselman stated: “They’re before the Wetlands Commission on these things, they're not supposed to park those cars anymore. That will be a secondary letter sent out again for the Wetlands side of it.”

Finally, the issue of a sign placed roadside on Rt. 63 was raised. Valentine said “They have a sign… that is in total violation of your sign ordinance. It was actually blocking the sight line for me to pull out of the road.”

Musselman said “I told them to take that sign down. They did take it down for a few months.”

“I did not give a permit out for that sign to be located again…” he added. “I told him to take it down [in the] first place… You'll find there's a lot of issues here that we need to wrap up in this enforcement letter.”

Note: Correspondence shared with The Goshen News, written by Ronald S. Ferris of CT-DOT in Thomaston, states that as long as the sign was placed beyond the 16’ Right of Way and conforms to specifications for temporary signs, “we would have no concerns”. Property owner Gary Stango, Jr. told The Goshen News he took the sign down pending direction from CT-DOT and relocated it accordingly after receiving that email.

Note: In an interview 9 days later, Musselman told The Goshen News that because it was a temporary sign, it was not subject to the same permitting requirements as a permanent sign.

At the conclusion of Public Comments Chair Carroll said: “Thank you guys for expressing your concern. Obviously, it's already being sent off to the attorney to be reviewed and to see how it can be followed through on. We are all going to want to know and pursue this.”

The Commission then closed Public Comments and proceeded to its work on the POCD.