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P & Z Ponders Stony Creek Village” Designation

Diana Stricker Photo

Stony Creek will have to wait several weeks to learn if it will become an official Village District. The designation would allow an architectural review board to scrutinize plans for sizable building projects—an issue which has mixed reactions among residents.

Branford’s Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) completed a public hearing Thursday, which had initially been convened in September. Under a recent change, projects under 3,500 square feet, including houses, would not be subject to the review board.

Ellsworth MacGuigan, P&Z chair, said the commissioners need time to review the matter and may be able to reach a decision by early December.

“I think we need a little more commission time on this,” MacGuigan said. He asked the staff to put together a summary of the public comments from both hearings.

Town Planner Jose Giner said they also need to update the official map of Stony Creek, which is currently a 1973 paper version. “It’s time to go digital,” he said.

Changes To Initial Proposal

The executive board of the Stony Creek Association (SCA) asked the P&Z to approve the Village District designation to help protect the unique character of its community.  If the proposal succeeds, a local review board would be appointed to make recommendations to the P&Z regarding major renovations or sizable new construction of both residential and commercial buildings.

Betsy Wieland, a member of the SCA executive board and chair of the Village District Exploratory Committee, said the committee met with Giner and staff members to discuss procedural language and possible changes.

As a result, the size of the homes that would fall under scrutiny was increased. The initial proposal discussed at the September hearing would have affected construction or major renovation of single family homes that are 2,000 square feet or over. Under the new proposal, projects under 3,500 square feet would not be subject to the review board.

Wieland later explained to the Eagle that the 2,000 square-footage refers to net measurement of a home, which is living space; and the 3,500 square-footage refers to to gross square-footage, which is total space including areas like basements and attics.

However, homes 3,500 to 5,000 square feet would be reviewed and would need site-plan approval. Homes over 5,000 square feet would be subject to review and would have to have a special exception approved by P&Z. 

Wieland said in the past year, six new homes were under construction in Stony Creek. Of that number, only two were larger than 3,500 square feet.

“There are not that many buildings that we are talking about,” Wieland said.

Giner said the name of the proposed review board should include the word “architectural.” This is a design review, not a use review,” Giner said. He said there won’t be any inclusion of the word “use” in the proposed resolution.

At the initial public hearing in September, Wieland listed several reasons for enacting the new zoning designation—protecting the character of the community; reducing neighborhood conflict by creating a review board to assist in making design choices; and protecting property values. Click here to read about the first public hearing.

The Public Speaks

Diana Stricker Photo

Members of the public offered comments for about 30 minutes Thursday, some in favor and some opposed.

Linda Reed, a member of the SCA executive board and a Village District Committee member, said Stony Creek was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, and that 71 percent of the 487 buildings were listed as contributing to the historic fabric” of the community. It really does speak to the fabric of what Stony Creek is all about,” Reed said.

Resident Ed Gagliardi said he doesn’t think the language of the proposed resolution is clear enough.

James Walker, a Stony Creek resident and member of the Representative Town Meeting, said he opposes the Village District because It’s another level or layer of bureaucracy that we certainly don’t need.” Walker said it allows a few people on the review board to be the harbingers of good taste.”

Ted Ells, a member of the SCA executive board and the Village District Committee, spoke in favor of the proposal. Stony Creek is the ideal location for a Village District,” he said. Ells said architectural concerns are important because the homes are so close together. What a neighbor’s house looks like affects what your house looks like,” he said.

Stony Creek resident Nina Smith said it’s wrong to put decisions about what is architecturally appropriate in the hands of a few people. She said there has always been controversy about some of the homes in the eclectic community. They should have the freedom to build their own home that some may like and others may not,” Smith said.

The Village District designation was enacted by state statute in 1998, and the concept was adopted by Branford as part of its Plan of Conservation and Development that was approved in 2008. Branford’s Town Center became a Village District in 2011, and so far is the only neighborhood with that designation. Click here to read about that.
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