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02/08/2016 11:00 PMClinton’s Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC)’s Feb. 1 public hearing to consider a petition by Cedar Island Marina to amend zoning regulations in the Marine (M) Zone drew a number of supporters and opponents. The proposal, which would allow for multiple dwelling units and condominium developments, was praised for providing growth opportunities and panned for changing the nature of the waterfront.
The hearing had been continued from Jan. 4 so that questions about public access, transportation, parking, and other factors could be addressed with input from land use staff, the town’s consulting planner, and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) Office of Long Island Sound Programs (OLISP), which regulates activities in Connecticut’s tidal wetlands and coastal waters.
Kris Shapiro, general manager of Cedar Island Marina, explained that his family, which owns the marina, had initially proposed developing part of its property as a second marina. Connecticut’s former state Department of Environmental Protection (now DEEP), however, raised concerns about dredging the intertidal mudflats adjacent to the property, and the application was denied. The family is now applying for zoning regulation amendments that would allow for the possibility of residential development of part of its property.
“Just to be clear,” Shapiro said at last Monday’s hearing, “this proposal is not for a condo development.” If approved, he said, the proposal “allows us to someday make an application to include a residential component…The timeline is most likely five years out, possibly as long as a decade.”
Any such development, he added, would still require PZC review and approval.
Several residents at last week’s hearing spoke in favor of Cedar Island Marina’s application.
John Allen called Clinton’s Marine Zone “a core district of the Plan of Conservation and Development” that has important economic development benefits, but is “currently hamstrung by existing regulations.”
“We badly need economic development in Clinton,” added Phil Sengle. “Proper development like this is key to the future health of Clinton.”
Kirk Carr also characterized Cedar Island Marina’s application as a positive move.
Allen and Carr are members of the Economic Development Commission, which Allen chairs.
John Olsen, however, raised concerns about parking and congestion, which he said are already problematic for the marina’s 275-seat Rocky’s Aqua Restaurant.
“There’s not enough parking as is,” he pointed out, noting that restaurant patrons using public parking as a spillover.
The problem would only be exacerbated, Olsen argued, if the site were developed to include multiple residential units. Olsen is a member of the town’s Harbor Management Commission.
Ease of access to the waterfront was also questioned.
“The public will be allowed unimpeded access,” said Shapiro, although some at the hearing indicated that direct public access might be limited or require a half-mile walk to reach the waterfront.
In a two-page letter submitted to the PZC, with a request that it be read at the hearing, OLISP Director Brian Thompson wrote, in part, “We strongly recommend that the Commission deny this zoning text amendment…The Marine Zone is the only waterfront zoning district in the town of Clinton which allows water-dependent uses…We believe this text amendment would adversely impact existing and future water-dependent uses which define and enhance the town of Clinton as a vibrant and unique coastal community with a variety of water-based opportunities for its citizens and tourists.”
Adding residential development to the mix, the agency said, threatens to displace harborfront recreation and water-dependent commercial uses, including fishing and boating.
Shapiro indicated that he would revise some of the language in the proposal to address these concerns.
The PZC moved to continue the hearing to Monday, Feb. 29.