Waterford Denies Changes To Zoning Regulations

Monday night, the Planning and Zoning Commission rejected a proposal by White Knight Development LLC to accommodate a proposed condominium complex at 317 Rope Ferry Road.

The town of Waterford has a section in the zoning regulations, section 3.17, that allows for condominium complexes on at least 50 acres of land for buyers who are at least 55-years-old in R-20 and R-40 zones. White Knight was hoping to use those zoning regulations, although reduce the amount of acres needed from 50 acres to 10 and remove the 55-and-older requirement.

The goal was to turn 317 Rope Ferry Road, into a condominium complex. However, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted to deny the change in the zoning regulations, saying they wanted to revamp the entire section, instead of just doing it piece-by-piece.

“Let’s find out what other towns are doing, and really get it right,” Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Edwin MaGuire said.

The Idea

Often, developers will pick a set of regulations that best fit what they are trying to do, if what they are trying to do won’t fit in the current zoning regulations. Then, they will ask for modifications on that set of regulations to fit what they are trying to do.

In this case, White Knight, a Haddam-based company, needed the regulations changed so they could build condos on their 12-acre property at 317 Rope Ferry Road, which sits in an R-40 zone. They decided to pick section 3.17 in the regulations, which allows for condominiums if there is at least 50 acres of land and if at least one person who lives in each unit is at least 55-years-old. White Knight asked for the age restriction to be removed from the regulations and the minimum acreage needed to be dropped from 50 acres to 10.

While the Planning and Zoning Commission had no concerns about removing the age restriction, they were worried about reducing the amount of acres needed for such a complex from 50 to 10.

“That is a big change,” Planning and Zoning Commission member Gwendolyn Hughes said.

The Planning and Zoning Commission asked for a conceptual plan by White Knight to see what they were planning to build at the property. White Knight came back with a plan that showed 36 condos, when even if the regulation was passed the way they wanted they would have only been able to put in 23, according to Planning Director Tom Wagner.

“I couldn’t tell you how disappointed I was (when I saw the plan),” Wagner said.

Still, even disregarding the plan, the commission was worried about approving the zoning regulation. While it may work at 317 Rope Ferry Road, this change would effect all 10-acre parcels in R-20 and R-40 zones, according to Planning and Zoning Commission member Dana Award.

Instead, MaGuire suggested looking at what other towns have in-place for zoning regulations for condominiums, finding what works and then re-writing the regulations to fit that. The commission agreed the 55-and-over requirement could go, and there could be other alterations as well.

Town Planner Mark Wujtewicz said White Knight can still come in with a cluster sub-division and get several units in the 12 acres. It is going to be up to them to come up with a plan that will fit that area, he said.