October 17, 2021
To the Editor:
It’s time to get rid of the Republican majority on the Town Council, and make the voters a priority instead of their insiders.
Planning and Zoning is a prime example. Five years ago, the Republican controlled Planning & Zoning Commission made several exceptions to change the zone at Bunker Hill and Straits Turnpike to allow a car dealership on a lot that was too small. The nearby residents asked that the zone not be changed to commercial, but to a transitional zone that permitted a medical or professional building with a design that blended with the nearby homes. P&Z ignored them, and changed the zone for the car dealership. The residents sued P&Z, costing them thousands of dollars. A car dealership was never built on the property.
Now an application has been presented to P&Z to allow development of a medical office on that same lot. This is exactly what the residents asked for years ago. Time, money, and energy was wasted because P&Z was determined to put a square peg in a round hole.
It looks like history will repeat itself at the Sealy property in Oakville. 66 residents within 500 feet of that property asked P&Z to decline the application for a zone change. They wanted the property to be developed in accordance with its current zoning. P&Z ignored them and changed the zone. The residents filed a lawsuit to appeal the zone change because P&Z did not follow their own regulation and created a zone that is so vague no one knows what will be built there, including the current developers.
We need a government that will listen to the people and have the foresight to look ahead, and not be reactive to the next new thing. Vote for the Independent Party candidates on Row C on November 2.
David, Oakville, CT