Allan Appel Photo
Opponent Martson sought creation of a new residential buffer zone.
A plan to reimagine neighborhoods at the edges of downtown sparked hours of debate — then sailed to a preliminary approval.
The plan — to tweak new zoning designation called “BD‑1” in order to make neighborhoods denser — won the approval Thursday night by a unanimous vote of the Board of Aldermen’s Legislation Committee. The proposal now goes to the full board for a May 6 vote.
Captained by East Rock Alderwoman Jessica Holmes, the six members of the committee made their decision after listening to four hours of public testimony, including one beamed in by Skype.
The proposed zoning change, technically called “zoning ordinance text amendments regarding the BD‑1 District,” would make it easier for people to build “mixed-use” projects — combining stores, apartments, and offices — in places like the Ninth Square and Chapel West. Those areas fall under the relatively new “BD‑1” zoning designation.
City officials want to change the rules for BD‑1 zones so people constructing combined commercial-residential projects don’t have to leave as much space in side yards and in front of buildings as they would if they were constructing purely retail spaces. They also want to allow for 30 percent of the parking in such projects to cover just compact cars rather than larger vehicles.
The idea is to allow for denser urban living — and to lure developers with the confidence that they won’t need to seek contentious zoning exceptions for every project. Opponents worry the change could destroy the residential character of historic neighborhoods.
(Click here to read details of the plan and objections to it as they unfolded at a recent City Plan Commission meeting. Click here to read the city’s arguments for the change as presented in a “road show” to various neighborhood management teams.)
“Thanks For Skyping”
Holmes and Douglass watch Sakamoto Skyping in via Mac.
First up at the hearing Thursday night was the city’s planning, development, and zoning brain trust of the city led by City Plan Director Karyn Gilvarg. Zoning expert Tom Talbot said that “lack of clarity in the [current zoning] language makes it difficult to provide the community with a level of assurance the community needs” as to what can or cannot be built in a area.
After the officials spoke, architect Dean Sakamoto spoke — from Hawaii.
He spoke by Skype. He took the committee through a 19-page handout of the Chapel West Special Services District’s pitch in praise of the change as a step toward the right vision for the area.
“Thanks for Skyping,” committee chair Holmes said 15 minutes later.
Anyone For A “BD‑4?”
Ec Development official Tony Bialecki showed 116 Crown St. before the BD-1 zone came to the Ninth Square.
Leading the opposition were members of the Friends of Dwight Street Historic District, (FDSHD)Olivia Martson, Susan Bradshaw, and Pat Kane.
Martson called for the creation of yet another zone, a BD‑4, to address large buildings in BD‑1 zones dwarfing smaller structures and historic homes. That was her group’s concern i opposing a recently approved plan for a large mixed-use project at Chapel and Howe Streets, Randy Salvatore’s proposed 136-unit apartment building at Chapel and Howe.
“We need to have a BD‑4 or tweak BD‑1 so it works in an historic district. We suggest a buffer BD‑4, zone between St. Raphael [BD‑3] and the historic little houses between Sherman and Park along George,” she said.
Talbot replied that there are better ways than more zones to address the transition from “historic” residential to new-urbanist dense mixed-commercial districts, so that one type of building does not dwarf, or render sunless or silly another type of building. Speaking on behalf of Randy Salvatore’s plan, by all accounts the elephant in the room, Attorney Carolyn Kone said the zoning ordinances already have provisions for transitions between areas.
By the Independent’s tally, 17 speakers at the hearing favored the BD‑1 change, while seven opposed it. By and large individual homeowners and those associated with (FDSHD) were opposed, and business owners and civic organizations came out in support, including lengthy testimony from Dwight Central Management Team, Town Green Special Services District, Connecticut Carpenters Local #24.
In the end, the community support, along with public promises of the aldermen and city officials to concurrently address transition questions and potentially remapping historic areas out of the BD‑1, were sufficient to win over Westville’s Adam Marchand to vote for the proposal. He had voted against it at last month’s City Plan Meeting.
Douglass Wants A “Win-Win”
East Rock Alderman and mayoral candidate Justin Elicker was among the committee members voting in favor.
“Though it’s not the building I’d build,” Elicker said, referring to the Salvatore building, “I’m for this project. I believe this [the proposed zoning text amendment] improves zoning.”
Dwight Alderman Frank Douglass, in whose ward the Salvatore project has triggered the controversy, had not spoken during the debate until the end.
“I want a win-win,” he declared. “I want to pass the BD‑1 and start the process of developing a buffer zone.”
The local alderman’s support swayed Holmes. She predicted that the full board will not approve the BD‑1 language changes if the conversation is not advancing to address the concerns raised by FDSHD and others.
Her committee’s vote of approval did not contain that as a condition. Rather it was as an informal pledge.
Although clearly disappointed, Martson said her group is meeting with City Plan staff next week to advance the discussion. One possible item for the agenda is to create a “village district” within the BD‑1 to protect the historic houses, or potentially to re-map.