Commission denies rezoning request

NEW LONDON – The New London Plan Commission denied a request to rezone the property located at 312/314 South Pearl Street to mixed residential low density.
The denial of the request came at the commission’s July 23 meeting after a motion to table the request until the following month’s meeting was not approved. When the motion to table the request failed, New London Mayor Mark Herter told the commission that the city spent a lot of money on its recodification for planning and zoning.
“Everybody sat in this room and we went through it,” Herter said. “Now we’re sitting here trying to amend what we just previously did. The discussion on the floor here that I’ve heard, everybody’s kind of worried about what the future holds if we change the zoning.”
Herter then made a motion to deny the rezoning request. The motion did receive a second. The motion to deny the rezoning request was approved with eight commission members voting to deny the request, and one member abstaining from the vote.

Discussion

Austin Dyb, director of Community Development for the city of New London, told the commission that the owner of the property requested that the city rezone the property “to accommodate the existing and future use of the structure located on the property.” Dyb said the 312 address is currently used as a single-family residence, while the attached office area at the 314 address is currently vacant.
“The applicant is seeking a rezone to mixed residential low density to accommodate a potential buyer that would purchase the property and use it as a residential use,” Dyb said. “Currently it is zoned as quarter mixed use, so that kind of area is designated for commercial type uses.”
The building is located adjacent to mixed residential low-density properties, and single-family homes are located directly behind the property, Dyb said.
The criteria for rezoning the property were explained by Dyb, and he said there were pros and cons regarding rezoning the property.
Dyb said the future land use map for the area does make the area a mixed-use downtown commercial.
“The mixed-use downtown land use designation is primarily for commercial, as listed in the name, but it also allows compatible residential uses in certain areas,” Dyb said.
Because of that, Dyb said rezoning the property would partially meet the criteria.
Commission member Jason Bessette said he would be concerned about rezoning the property because the property has a “downtown feel to it.”
“I think anybody would agree that that does not appear to be where a single-family residence should reside,” Bessette said. “I think we had a clear and concise zoning designation for that parcel, and I think if we change it, we’re going to open ourselves up to other possibilities if a property across the road would come up for sale and somebody wanted to do the same thing, I think it would be more difficult for us to limit that.”
He added, “I think we have enough housing coming to New London. We don’t need to make an exception for one single-family home that should be an opportunity for a business. Because I think that’s really the true feel for that area right next to the bowling alley.”
Ald. BaLynda Croy said she had the same concerns.
During the public hearing on the matter, Carter Crawley, owner of the property, addressed the commission. He said he has owned the property for around three years. He said the property was a single-family residence at the 312 address and the 314 address was vacant at the time of purchase.
“At the time of purchase, we placed a business in there (314 address) for nine months and then they vacated, and it’s been sitting vacant since that date,” Crawley said.
Crawley said he is requesting the property be rezoned because it currently qualifies for only commercial financing. He said a residential loan cannot be obtained even though the property has primarily been used as a single-family residence for around the past 13 years.
After the public hearing, Dyb addressed the issue of setting a precedent if the commission were to approve rezoning the property.
“With any rezoning we look at the comprehensive plan, and we can evaluate it by a case-by-case basis,” Dyb said.
New London City Administrator Chad Hoerth added that if the property is rezoned to mixed residential low density, in the future, the building could be razed and a single-family residence built on the property. Under the current zoning for the property, if the building is razed, a more commercial building would need to be built on the property.
Hoerth told the commission that it could decide on the rezoning request at the following month’s meeting.