Shelton’s Planning and Zoning Commission discussed a zone change proposal for a controversial mixed-use development on Bridgeport Avenue for about 10 minutes Tuesday but did not vote on the application.
A vote to approve the proposal could take place at the commission’s March 7 meeting.
Anthony Panico, a consultant working for the commission charged with writing a resolution approving the application, told the zoners he hadn’t finished the document yet but would “do everything in my power” to have it done by the end of the month.
The proposal, called “Towne Center at Shelter Ridge,” is the largest development application Shelton has seen in years.
It calls for roughly 400 apartments and more than 300,000 square feet of retail space on the 120-acre property, which fronts Bridgeport Avenue opposite Long Hill Cross Road and is bisected diagonally by power wires and a natural gas line.
The property also borders Buddington Road, Mill Street, two city-owned open space properties, and several private properties.
Click here for more background.
The overwhelming majority of residents who have spoken at public hearings on the project have asked zoners to reject the application, galvanizing into an organized opposition via the SOS/Save Our Shelton Facebook group that has been liked by more than 1,600 people.
About 50 people turned out for Tuesday’s meeting, and about a dozen protested in front of City Hall for the second straight month.
Those opposed to the development have cited a myriad of issues, but by far the most prevalent was worries about increased traffic that will come when developed.
During Tuesday’s discussion, Ruth Parkins, the chairwoman of the commission, pointed out that the vast majority of accidents are caused by bad driving.
“You can’t control operator error,” she said. “You can’t control drivers.”
Jimmy Tickey, who signaled his intent to vote against the application last month, said there will only be more crashes the more development is approved.
“These numbers, I feel, would only grow in nature as developments that we’ve approved come online on and around Bridgeport Ave.,” he said. “And as developments like the one before us are built, you’ll have more cars on the street. So whether it’s operator error or distracted driving or just more cars entering into that area, you’re going to be dealing with higher risk of folks getting into accidents if major improvements aren’t made.”
The discussion next centered on how restrictive the commission wants to be in terms of barring possible uses of the property.
The lawyer representing the developer has said the retail uses at the property will be high-end, but many residents who spoke during the public hearings complained that plenty of other applicants told zoners the same thing, but then never delivered.
Panico, the consultant, said he would try to come up with a solution.
He listed tattoo and piercing stores as likely to be barred, for example.
Members of the commission could then adjust it before their vote.
“I’m going to try to address it and then when you review the whole resolution we can modify it, adjust it, strengthen it, weaken it, whatever we want to do,” Panico said.
The commission then voted to accept an extension of the application to next month.
Dominick Thomas, the lawyer representing the applicant, said afterward he was “generally confident” in the application’s success, though he said he’d have go over Panico’s suggested guidelines with his client when they’re done.
Regarding the commission’s traffic concerns, he said the best way to improve Bridgeport Avenue would be to approve the development proposal and then have his client pay the millions of dollars required to widen the road and put in more safety features.
The alternatives — having the city or the state pay for it — are highly unlikely anytime soon given budget constraints, he argued.
“There is no development left on Bridgeport Avenue that is going to improve it from one end to the other — what it needs — except for Shelter Ridge,” Thomas said.
Click the play button on the video below to see the commission’s discussion Tuesday.
(The microphones were not working in the City Hall auditorium, Zoning Consultant Rick Schultz said, because of feedback issues.)
