My name is Maureen McCormack. I sit on the Planning & Zoning Commission in Ansonia. I’m writing this letter to get the word out that there will be a Public Hearing (via Zoom) on Monday 3/27 at 6:45 p.m. regarding a proposed text amendment on driveways.
This is the type of regulation that affects so, so many people in our town.
In Ansonia, approximately one half of residential properties (excluding condos and apartments) are situated on less than one quarter of an acre. Therefore, this type of regulation that is, in part, based on setbacks from property lines and which proscribes whether or not a homeowner may or may not enlarge a driveway, (or even have a driveway at all), is incredibly impactful to so many or our residents.
When combined with Police Commission and State of CT regulations that sometimes severely limit parking on certain streets, overly strict driveway regulations can be devastating to homeowners. Homeowners can face not only the day to day difficulty of insufficient parking for their own vehicles or spots for visitors, but also decreased property value and increased car insurance rates.
This type of regulation impacts growing families who need another car for a young person starting to work or commuting to college. It also impacts older people who may wish to be able to park near their door in order to bring in the groceries.Some like to imagine that all of Ansonia should look like a suburban oasis with large, open expanses of lush green yards.
But that is simply not the reality. Many, many residents have have small yards. So we have to be very, very careful of how we regulate the rights of property owners. I would love to hear suggestions and comments from as many members of the public as possible as we on the Planning & Zoning Commission consider the driveway text amendment.
Maureen McCormack
ANSONIA
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