News

Hopeful Developer of Roger Sherman Site Proposes New Zone for Regulations To Make Project Possible

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Seeking to tweak the New Canaan Zoning Regulations in a way that will make his plans possible, the would-be developer of the Roger Sherman Inn on Monday filed a new application that proposes a so-called “overlay district.”

Filed on behalf of Norwalk developer Andrew Glazer and Glazer Group, the proposed district would allow him to convert part of the existing inn into a residence and build another six 2.5-story, 2,600-square-foot units on the 1.8-acre lot at 195 Oenoke Ridge Road. Located in the 1-acre zone with a 96-foot easement that runs east of the parcel, the property could accommodate a single home under the existing regulations. Glazer in an initial application made in September and at a subsequent public hearing last month argued that his plan would bring the property into greater conformity with the regulations because it would be a non-commercial use. Filed by Westport-based engineering firm Landtech—not by an attorney who specializes in land use matters, as typically is done—the proposed ‘Non-Conforming Residential Overlay District’ “would allow existing non-conforming uses to be replaced by a more conforming uses.”

“The proposed amendment is a precursor to our special permit application for the proposed residential development of the Roger Sherman Inn,” Landtech principal Peter Romano said in the Nov. 14 application.

News

Would-Be Developer of Roger Sherman Inn Site Seeks Three Changes to New Canaan Zoning Regulations

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The Norwalk developer proposing to raze part of the Roger Sherman Inn and create eight single-family homes on the 1.8-acre lot is seeking three major changes to the New Canaan Zoning Regulations in order to make the project possible. Spelled out by Westport-based Landtech, an engineering firm, as part of the Glazer Group’s overall application, the proposed text changes all center around the idea that the new development would bring the inn’s Oenoke Ridge Road parcel into more conformity with the regulations. Specifically, the applicant seeks three new allowances, all by special permit:

First, to add to a list of structures allowed by special permit (see page 45 here)—a list that currently includes things like elderly housing, congregate housing, B&Bs, group homes and religious institutions—the following: “Pre-existing non-conforming uses—where a pre-existing non-conforming commercial use is located within a residential zone a residential use may be permitted by special permit when the proposed use is residential and as a result o the residential use it reduces the non-conformity. The newly created residential use shall not exceed a density of six dwelling unit per 1 acre of land either attached or detached”;
Second, to add to a list of uses that qualify for exceptions to building coverage, by special permit (see page 69 here)—a list that now includes municipal and governmental facilities as well as hospitals in the two-acre zone and some recreational clubs—the following: “a proposed residential use that will reduce non-conformity from its current/existing use”;
And third, to add to the ways that the Planning & Zoning Commission may allow an increase via special permit to maximum density—that is, lots per acre of buildable land—the following method: “determining that the proposed increase in maximum density will reduce the pre-existing non-conforming use.”

P&Z is expected to take up the application for the first time at its next regular meeting, at 7 p.m. on Oct. 25.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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For the first time ever, May Fair will open its rides to visitors on the Friday night of the weekend that the hugely popular event runs. “Friday Night Lights” will run from 5 to 9 p.m. on May 8—featuring just the rides, a performance stage and select food vendors Baskin-Robbins, Joe’s Pizza and Chicken Joe’s—and the full, cherished annual fair running about 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. the following day, said Richard DePatie, parish administrator at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. “We’ve been talking about it, off and on, for a number of years, and weather is a factor,” DePatie told NewCanaanite.com. He explained that in recent years, foul weather has caused organizers to hit pause on May Fair for periods of time on the selected Saturday, and that affects how much money can be raised (the fair benefits charities through the St.

Government

Report Questions Proposed 15,000-S.F. Manmade Pond on Weed; Public Hearing Set for April 27

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A peer review of a dramatic plan to landscape extensively a Weed Street property is raising questions about a proposed 15,000-square-foot manmade pond. The review, from Riverside-based D’Andrea Surveying & Engineering, focuses on site development and drainage management plans at 384 and 386 Weed St., a combined 7-acre parcel. “What is the purpose of the pond and the justification for having to significantly alter over 50,000 square feet of wooded, moderate to steep slopes in order to create the 15,000-square-foot artificial pond?” Leonard D’Andrea writes in the peer review. “There is very little design information provided for the proper construction of an artificial pond with an area of moderate slopes and below an area of steep slopes. The pond would contain about 5 feet of water.