Vote On Seymour Zone Change Pushed To October

SEYMOUR – Residents opposed to a proposed zone change that could potentially pave the way for 88 multi-family housing units in the Moss Avenue/Maple Street area will have to wait until next month for a decision.

The Seymour Planning and Zoning Commission during its Sept. 11 meeting tabled a vote on the zone change until its next meeting Oct. 9.

“We want to review some more of the testimony and the public hearing minutes at this time,” said Brian Sirowich, a member of the commission.

The vote Oct. 9 will require four out of five members to adopt the zone change. That’s because a petition with 48 signatures of residents opposed to the zone change was submitted in July, forcing a two-thirds majority of the commission, per Seymour’s zoning regulations.

Summer Hill Road resident Timothy Lavranchuk, who lives nearby the properties up for the proposed zone change, said he was glad to see the commission taking its time to consider the residents’ concerns before casting a vote next month.

“I’m glad they’re at least thinking about it,” Lavranchuk said.

The proposed zone change has earned the ire of more than 100 area residents, who attended two public hearings in July and August in opposition.

A Branford developer, Maple Street Associates, LLC, owns three parcels on Moss Avenue and Maple Street:

• A vacant, 1.2‑acre parcel at 65 Moss Ave.
• A vacant, 2.4‑acre parcel at 67 Moss Ave.
• A 10.2‑acre parcel at 172 Maple St. where there is currently one vacant house

The developer wants the three parcels rezoned from single-family residential to multi-family residential.

The land is currently zoned R‑40, meaning single-family houses on minimum lots of 40,000 square feet are allowed.

Milford attorney John Knuff, representing Maple Street Associates, said at the July 10 hearing if the zone change is approved, a site plan application to build about 88 townhouses on the property would likely follow.

Knuff said the plan is to build market-rate, owner-occupied townhouses. He said the housing would be geared to empty-nesters and young couples.

If the townhouses were built, Knuff estimates they would generate about $500,000 in annual real estate property taxes.

During both public hearings, one resident after another cited repeated concerns ranging from pedestrian safety to potential damage to existing wells.

Knuff has said the proposed zone change is in line with the town’s plan of conservation and development. He said the proposed density, which would be 6.5 housing units per acre, is consistent with other existing multi-family housing developments in Seymour, including Reservoir Manor Apartments and Chatfield Estates Townhouse, both of which he said have 6.4 units per acre.

Knuff had also said any relevant environmental concerns would be addressed and resolved in subsequent inland wetlands and special permit applications. He also said if the zone change is approved, a full traffic report would be submitted for review by the commission and the state Department of Transportation, as Maple Street is a state-owned road.

Agendas for Seymour meetings are posted here.