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09/22/2020 12:00 AMThe Essex Board of Selectmen (BOS) held a public hearing Sept. 16 regarding an ordinance to repeal both the town’s Planning Commission and Zoning Commission and establish in their place a combined Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC).
“The genesis is that there is a lot less planning work to be done now and a lot less land to develop for subdivisions going forward, so it makes sense,” said Essex First Selectman Norman Needleman, as he opened the public hearing.
Needleman said that the proposal would give “planning a better voice in the process, once they come up with a POCD [Plan of Conservation and Development]…[and] we all know how hard it is to get people involved and to have people show up at board meetings.”
Despite options to bypass in-person town meetings for safety considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the BOS will give citizens the opportunity to vote on the ordinance.
“We wouldn’t want to look at or use any of the governor’s executive orders to pass this in an abbreviated way,” said Needleman. “It has to be done at a town meeting. We think that we can get enough people in the building, but what we would do if we move it ahead is post it as a combined in person and Zoom town meeting, which is allowed.”
The ordinance was moved unanimously to a town meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 4:30 p.m. by the BOS at its meeting immediately following the Sept. 16 public hearing. Information for the Oct. 7 meeting will be posted at essexct.gov.
The ordinance stipulates that there will be seven regular members and three alternates on the new PZC. This is a change from the five regular members and three alternates that now serve each of the existing commissions.
A quorum for the new PZC would be four, which Needleman called a “workable number.”
Town Counsel David Royston gave specifics relative to the length of member terms and their expiration dates. This was discussed and adjusted by the BOS at its meeting to three regular members with terms expiring in 2023, two regular members with terms expiring in 2022 and two members with terms expiring in 2021. Alternates would be appointed for a two-year term.
It is anticipated that members of the new PZC would be appointed by the BOS at its Wednesday, Oct. 21 meeting and nominated at the annual town meeting in November, with citizens having the opportunity to approve or reject them.
Although the ordinance does not give any preference to individuals serving on the existing commissions, Needleman said, “we will certainly consider all of the existing members first” for the new PZC.
Official Input
A small handful of town officials attended the public hearing on the ordinance, with some offering their opinion on the proposed change.
“I support the change in the ordinance,” said Essex Zoning Commission Chair Larry Shipman. “I think that it would consolidate some of the delay of referrals. I do agree that there is not as much planning work going on. There will always be zoning work and I just think it makes sense.”
Shipman, who is an attorney, also said that in his work representing clients, he finds the process to be much more efficient when there is a combined commission.
Selectman Bruce Glowac discussed how the issue has been debated on an annual basis for one and a half decades.
“Big housing developments are pretty much, I think, going by the wayside and it’s now time to take advantage of this slow down so that we can bring these two commissions together…We’ll get better cooperation, get better progress and it will be good for the town,” he said.
Zoning Enforcement Officer Joseph “Joe” Budrow discussed how he would like to work with the new PZC on the matrix of activities laid out in the town’s POCD.
He said that the Planning Commission was working “to either rezone the town or change regulations to make [them] more green, energy friendly, or business friendly.”
“I think the Planning Commission did have a number of activities that they could have done. It’s not just about subdivisions but I do want to just say that I’m always open to change. Once the new commission is together, I look forward to working on that matrix so that the future commission is very active in trying to make our regulations and future better for the town,” he added.