Rich Chudoba had a simple question at the Sept. 21 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
What’s his neighbor across the street up to?
Chudoba lives at 341 Derby Ave. He was the only member of the public asking questions during a public hearing on an application to rezone 340 Derby Ave. from a residential zone to an industrial zone.
The zone change is being requested by 340 Derby Avenue, LLC. Its principal is William Archer, who also owns an acre of industrially-zoned land at 326 Derby Ave — right next to 340 Derby Ave.
Archer’s application for the zone change didn’t include his future plans for the property. That had Chudoba curious.
Parking is already challenging on Derby Avenue, with its mix of office space, industrial properties and multi-family houses.
“How does it affect on-street parking across from my house?” Chudoba asked.
John Rak, representing Archer, said Archer purchased the house and property at 340 Derby Ave. through a foreclosure. The plan is to get permission for a zone change, demolish the house, then leave the property alone, Rak said.
“Do nothing with it for the time being. Just keep it vacant,” he said.
According to Derby zoning rules, changing the property from residential to industrial means Archer could one day use the property for anything from a warehouse to a machine shop.
Archer would have to return to Planning and Zoning with a specific application.
The commission did not rule on Archer’s zone change Tuesday. Instead, they decided to continue the public hearing on the application until October.
“I hope you look at it thoroughly, because there is a lot of traffic on that Derby Avenue,” Chudoba said.
