Town officials on Monday instructed Grace Farms to stop booking new events on its campus and provide details of all activities planned for the next six months, pending a final decision of a yet-to-be-filed application to amend its operating permit.
Citing “outstanding violations” of Grace Farms’ existing permit, the town planner in a letter obtained by NewCanaanite.com specified that the organization’s list of activities “shall include the date of the event, the event or group name, the location of the property, start and end times, and the number of attendees expected.”
Town Planner Steve Palmer also instructed Grace Farms to file its new application within 45 days—rather than 60, as the organization had proposed—and called for stronger measures to prevent visitors from wandering toward neighbors’ properties.
“These additional measures are integral to this process and compliance with them will be a consideration of the [Planning & Zoning] Commission’s review of the future Special Permit application,” Palmer said.
The measures come one week after Grace Farms withdrew an application to amend its zoning permit—a decision prompted by the findings of a third-party consultant that found the application lacking.
According to Simsbury-based consulting firm Planimetrics, Grace Farms instead of seeking to add new principal uses to its approved use as a religious institution, should put in for an entirely new special permit. At the same time, Grace should submit a comprehensive “management plan” that includes details—not currently furnished to the town—on the number of events and size of events planned for the property, hours of operation, lighting, landscaping, parking and traffic management, according to Planimetrics.
Unless otherwise noted in the plan, use of Grace Farms by third parties would be prohibited, the firm said in its Jan. 17 report (embedded below as a PDF), and the organization would distinguish a “church” kitchen from a “commercial kitchen” with cooking classes, as well as from a snack bar and a restaurant, detailing hours of operation and food service.
The creation of such a detailed plan goes far beyond anything that Grace Farms has contemplated either in public hearings or in correspondence with the town.
In withdrawing Grace Farms’ application, attorney Edward O’Hanlan of Stamford-based Robinson + Cole did outline some efforts that the organization would implement to mitigate its impact in the neighborhood. They include turning off a “sound sculpture” in a pond and shutting off most of “The River” building’s lights at 8 p.m. O’Hanlon also proposed holding 20 events at Grace Farms from February through May.
Palmer acknowledged the temporary measures in his letter.
“It demonstrates your understanding of the importance of these issues and your willingness to cooperate in seeking resolutions,” he said.
Yet the “self-imposed interim limitations” required “additional measures” until a decision is made on Grace Farms’ new application.
For example, regarding walking trails from which some visitors have strayed near abutting residential properties, Grace Farms had proposed installing “appropriate signage” that would encourage people to stay on trails and “not stray toward the boundary fence/property line.”
Palmer answered in his letter: “The walking trail shall be reduced to eliminate access across and to the east of the brook adjacent to residential properties on Smith Ridge Road. Adequate signage and trail markers shall be installed within 15 days of the date of this letter and GFF shall contact the Planning & Zoning Department to inspect the installation.”
Reached through a spokesperson, Grace Farms issued the following statement: “Grace Farms Foundation received the letter yesterday [Jan. 30]. We are currently reviewing the letter and intend to respond shortly. We had a very productive meeting Monday afternoon with Steve Palmer and the new independent consultant, and we look forward to refining the application and working with the town and neighbors in this process.”
The strengthened measures appear to address some of the concerns raised by Grace Farms’ neighbors. In a letter filed Friday with the town planner, attorney Amy Zabetakis of Darien-based Rucci Law Group said Grace Farms Foundation to date “has acted with utter contempt for the commission and its regulations.”
“In 2012 and 2013, [Grace Farms] Holdings represented that the use of this property would be for a ‘religious institution’ and accepted conditions on its use concerning lighting, landscaping and sound systems. Since the opening of Grace Farms the existing special permit has been violated in numerous ways. The town must take a stand and enforce the regulations as they were intended—to protect New Canaan’s residents and taxpayers and provide for the orderly development of town resources. Unless and until a new special permit application is filed concerning the property, the town must enforce the conditions in the existing special permit and require full compliance. If the town is going to permit the Foundation to continue to operate on the property, its proposed events and activities must be fully accounted for an limited in number, proposed events by outside organizations including nonprofits must be fully accounted for and limited in number, commercial use of the property must cease and open use of the property other than on guided tours must cease as well. The ancillary uses must not be allowed to exceed or even come close to the frequency and number of visitors expected for the religious institution uses.”
If Grace Farms is in the wrong, what about P&Z allowing the taller structures built. Does that not break the rules?
Norm, thank you for submitting a comment. To be fair, the heavily conditioned Merritt Village approval is a very different matter. P&Z approved that project following multiple public hearings and brought down the size of the development from 160 to 110, in an approval that the applicant/developer has appealed. Grace Farms after two public hearings withdrew its own application when an independent consultant found it lacking. P&Z has not had an opportunity to rule on an application from Grace Farms. What these measures do is to control activities on the site until it can do so.
OK… My view is that ever since living in New Canaan for the past twenty years things have gotten more congested than ever. I came from the city (Brooklyn NY) to get away from congestion, now I find it creeping up in town. I guess I’ll have to move to a less congested area…