This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
08/17/2016 09:31 AMA property owner attempting a two-pronged approach to developing what the town has, to date, deemed as a non-buildable lot Pawson Park, has had one of his two applications to build on the land denied.
Last night, Branford's Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) denied a request for three variances which could have allowed property owner Pawson Point LLC, to build a new single family home at 239 Pawson Road. The action was a repeat of the ZBA's December, 2015 decision which denied the property's previous owner variances needed to construct a single family home on the same lot.
The waterfront lot, which equates to less than the town buildable minimum of 15,000 square feet, was then sold to Pawson Point LLC for $35,000. The property abuts tidal wetlands on two sides and also abuts neighboring residential property at 235 Pawson Road, owned by Steven and Patricia Small. The Smalls have spearheaded an effort to alert area residents to the potential development. This summer's ZBA and PZC meetings concerning applications to develop 239 Pawson Road have drawn big crowds of concerned neighbors. At last night's ZBA meeting, a standing-room only crowd filled the community room at Fire Headquarters.
Pawson Point LLC is still pursuing an application to develop the same piece of land with six housing units, to include a state-minimum number of affordable housing units as part of the development. That application is currently under review by Branford's Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC), with a public hearing on the matter continued to Thursday, September 1 at 7 p.m., with a new location set for Branford Fire Headquarters, 45 North Main St.
In a report given to the PZC from Town Planner Harry Smith during the first part of the public hearing on July 21, Smith noted Zoning Regulations are "...intended to protect the health, safety and welfare of the residents of Branford, and this application does not meet the regulations in many respects."