Planning & Zoning Commission: Public Hearing on Special Use Permit to Be Held on February 27th

1/23/24

All members of the Planning and Zoning Commission board were in attendance. December’s meeting minutes were unanimously approved.

The majority of the meeting was spent reviewing a Special Permit application from Selectman Scott Olson to operate an indoor country club to be used solely for tennis and pickleball at his 777 North Street property. “My ambitions here are to fulfill what I believe is a void,” Olson explained. “One could argue there’s a tremendous amount of support for bringing indoor tennis and/or pickleball into town. Understand that at the most… we’re going to have three indoor courts. There’s a likelihood that it could be just two indoor pickleball courts.”

Olson believes the club could struggle to bring a substantial profit to the town, but it could satisfy resident desires to have easy access to play both sports. The proposed club is surrounded by forests which are expected to cancel out any potentially bothersome noise the games may produce towards nearby homes. It will be equipped with a men and women’s bathroom and one shower. No lighting plan has been developed but is expected to be complete by the next PZC meeting. The site plan is expected to receive approval from Torrington Area Health.

Town Planner and Zoning Enforcement Officer (ZEO) Martin Connor reviewed the application and recommended revising the site plan to incorporate a wider driveway for two-way traffic. Olson later clarified that the driveway won’t be paved but would rather be composed of asphalt millings. Concrete areas will be developed for handicap parking spaces, direct entry into the club, and the apron for the driveway near the main road. Olson further requested the commission to forego the requirement to establish rain gardens to catch storm water from nearby barns, “These two barns were put up with a site plan that never required a rain garden. So as the barns sit there now, there’s a gutter system that drains right out onto the grass and we have no problem with any erosion because of the stormwater off of the roof of the barns. We’re talking about close to 15 acres of open meadow where the runoff gently rolls through acres and acres of open field and then into forest.” Connor suggested Olson establish the rain garden unless he and Colby Engineering are able to come up with a sufficient alternative to protect the club from stormwater. Olson then withdrew his previous request. The PZC then unanimously set a public hearing for this site plan application on Tuesday, February 27th starting at 7:30 pm.

PZC members briefly discussed a budget and capital request for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Connor suggested the PZC request $15,000 to put aside for their Plan of Conservation & Development in their capital account. POCDs are documents that provide municipalities with guides to best expand, grow, develop, and conserve their areas over the course of a decade. The State of Connecticut requires municipalities to update their POCDs every ten years. Connor doesn’t intend to write this next plan but suggests the PZC reach out to a consultant. Patrick Lucas suggested increasing this request to $20,000 and that the PZC return any unused funds to the Board of Finance. The PZC unanimously approved requesting $10,000 this year and another $10,000 next year for their Plan of Conservation & Development.

Connor began his ZEO report by reporting he is still waiting for survey information on the 24 Benjamin Lane investigation into an addition built without necessary approvals. “On the exciting news that’s in my report, is that the former Miranda Vineyard has been sold [to] a very nice woman named Lynn Mullah,” Connor added. “I spoke to her on the phone a couple times and  she came into the office today. So it’s going to be nice to have that reopened and, you know, that farm winery back in operation.” The Miranda Vineyard, located on 42 Ives Rd, previously announced its closure in February 2022 after 14 years of operation. It’s currently unknown when the vineyard will reopen or if it will continue bearing the Miranda name. Connor already signed its liquor permit, claiming it will operate in the same capacity it used to. He further reported that a child care center at Goshen’s Church of Christ Congregational will be back in operation as well. A house under construction at Meadow Crest South additionally had their permit amended to add an inground pool to the property. Connor’s ZEO report was unanimously approved.