Groton Open Space Association

KKC To Hold Feb. Meeting With Zoning, Maybe Jointly With Planning

GROTON — A representative of Kendig Keast Collaborative, the consulting firm hired to rewrite Groton’s land-use rules, is expected to meet in February with the Zoning Commission, possibly in a joint session with the Planning Commission, to discuss KKC’s proposals for protecting natural resources, Groton planners said Jan. 7, 2009.

The working session is expected to take place, at a date to be determined, in late February, Michael J. Murphy, director of Groton’s Office of Planning and Development Services, said at the regular commission meeting Jan. 7. After the latest meeting, he said that he is considering making the KKC session a joint one with the Planning Commission, though he had not yet discussed that with Planning.

Mac Birch, the KKC principal who is managing the Groton project, would use the session in part to explain KKC’s “resource protection factors,” which Planning Manager Matthew Davis told the Zoning Commission meeting are a “fundamental part” of KKC’s approach to planning. He said he and Mr. Murphy believe that the resource protection concept has not yet been fleshed out with concrete Groton case studies and that these are needed to make sure that the ideas and applications involved are well understood. At present, KKC written materials dealing with resource protection, open space and clustering factors show only conceptual numbers, not the actual numbers that would be applied to Groton.

Mr. Murphy said that the February meeting would be open to public attendance but not to public participation.

Under Groton’s Zoning Regulations, the Zoning Commission would have to pass any Zoning amendment by a supermajority if the Planning Commission recommended against the amendment.

In other developments at the Jan. 7 meeting, the OPDS appeared to turn back several suggestions by Zoning Commission members:

–Chairman Stephen Hudecek asked OPDS officials how implementation of eventual KKC recommendations might affect the town’s buildout analysis–the projection of population of a fully “developed” town. Mr. Murphy said that “the buildout issue is not part of regulation construction–” the object of the KKC exercise. Mr. Davis said the concept of buildout analysis is “not useful in planning.” Mr. Hudecek said buildout figures were relevant, among other things, to the issue of traffic congestion, which he said is becoming a problem. Commission Member Robert O’Neill opined that it isn’t possible to predict population growth in the town–short of total government management. Following the meeting, one commission member suggested that a “worst- case scenario,” such as is common in engineering, could and should be worked out by the OPDS. Mr. Birch of KKC has said that Groton is rapidly approaching full buildout.

–Commission Member Mariellen French suggested that the area around the Groton reservoir should be rezoned to protect water resources of the town and region. Mr. Murphy said that protection of water required only strict environmental controls within the current zoning structure, rather than changed zoning. Ms. French noted that she had attended a Ledyard meeting of the Drinking Water Quality Management Program and had found Ledyard citizens reluctant to regulate growth around their part of the reservoir system, given Groton’s heavy planned growth around its part. Mr. Murphy said that didn’t represent the view of Ledyard’s leadership, and he said Groton needed to protect its commercial and industrial future. He recommended that Ms. French familiarize herself with the Drinking Water Quality Management Program report “so that you’ll know what’s inside as opposed to the perception that the sky is falling.”

–Commission Alternate Member Susan Sutherland asked that the new Zoning Regulations replace the current definition of Open Space–which defines it as “A space, not occupied by a building or other roofed structure, on the same lot as the principal building.” She noted that the Connecticut state statutes define Open Space in terms of wildlife and other natural resources. Mr. Murphy said the Zoning Commission definition is a technical term, not to be confused with the state’s broad concept.

Ms. Sutherland replied that KKC frequently has used the term Open Space and that a definition therefore is called for. Mr. Murphy contended that “subdivision regulations are where you’d have an Open Space definition.” Ms. Sutherland also asked for an updated map of Open Space showing greenbelts and natural resources. Mr. Davis said, “I’m not certain how you’d use a map of state-acquired open space in this [KKC] process.” Ms. Sutherland said she would bring a current map to the next meeting to show to the OPDS officials.