If a business wants to come to downtown Ansonia, but there aren’t enough parking spots to get zoning approvals, the Planning and Zoning Commission often lends municipal parking spots to the plan in order for it to meet regulations.
But the Planning and Zoning Commission is talking about changing that policy in order to get some cash for parking lot repairs.
The commission last week discussed a proposal to charge new businesses a one-time fee to use the city parking spots toward zoning approval — something the city now provides for free if approved.
The fee would help the city pay to pave and repair municipal parking lots downtown, according to commission Chairman Bart Flaherty.
The discussion — which came up at last week’s meeting as part of the commission’s review of all its fees — is very preliminary, Flaherty said.
“We haven’t talked specifically about dollar amounts,” Flaherty said. “We’ll research it and give what seems fair and equitable for the area.”
Any proposal on this topic would still need to come before a public hearing and also a vote by the commission.
Before taking those steps, the commission asked city planner Oswald Ingles to do more research on what other towns do.
What If
But some ideas were thrown around at the meeting last Monday.
The charge would likely be a one-time fee for those looking to develop business on Main Street and surrounding areas. Ansonia could also charge per parking spaces or square feet, commissioners said.
The business would have to be located within 300 and 600 feet of the specific parking lot.
The fee would only apply for a business that would need Planning and Zoning approvals to open — such as an retail shop turning into a restaurant.
Flaherty wouldn’t specify an existing business that has used municipal spots — free of charge — to get zoning approvals for a business, but said the city has used the practice to approve businesses that would otherwise not be able to open under the city’s zoning regulations.
The regulations require specific numbers of parking spots depending on business type and size.
The one-time fee would be for business owners — not customers, Flaherty said.
Fee Schedule
The commission is also reviewing other fees — such as how much applicants pay for public hearing announcements.
The planning and zoning fee structure hasn’t been updated in 25 to 30 years, Flaherty said.
Any changes in fees will be recommended by the commission, and ultimately voted on by the Board of Aldermen.
