Monday night, more than 100 people crowded into Town Hall to support proposed zoning regulations that would prohibit stone processing plants and quarrying.
“We’ve had quarries before,” said Planning Director Tom Wagner, who wrote the new regulations. “But Waterford is no longer a rural town, and we have to consider what effects will (quarrying) have on not just the environment, but the public.”
The proposed regulations allow builders to process the stone they extract while building a site, Wagner said. But the new regulations would not permit companies to bring in stone from other sites and process it, Wagner said.
A public hearing was held Monday on the proposed regulations, where many spoke for the change, and one was opposed. After, the hearing was closed, and the Planning and Zoning Commission agreed to vote on the new regulations at the next meeting.
Kobyluck
The proposal comes just days after to build a stone processing plant at 28 Industrial Drive. These new regulations would prohibit what Kobyluck is proposing.
However, since the regulations are not yet approved, Kobyluck’s application will follow the old regulations, which are less specific about stone processing, Wagner said.
Company owner Matt Kobyluck went to the public hearing, and was the sole member of the public to speak against the proposed regulations. Kobyluck argued the Planning and Zoning Commission should not prohibit any use completely, but instead allow “due process” and regulate the activity, he said.
