O'Brien Funeral Home seeks more parking

If you spot one of those yellow signs in front of O’Brien Funeral Home, you can’t help wondering what’s going on at the Forestville landmark.

It turns out that the funeral home is seeking the Zoning Commission’s approval for 20 additional parking spaces behind the building.

The application goes before zoning commissioners next Wednesday. The meeting is slated for 7 p.m., Wed., May  15 in the City Council chambers on the first floor of City Hall.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Johnson and Lodovico leaving zoning

Don't miss reporter Jackie Majerus' story about the imminent departure of two longtime zoning commissioners. Click here for story.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Buddhists get green light for temple on Park Street

For decades, the United Auto Workers gathered weekly in a meeting hall on Park Street to talk shop.

But their hall, which has sat idle for years since the departure of General Motors, may soon ring with the voices of Buddhist monks.

The city’s Zoning Commission gave its unanimous blessing recently to a plan by the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut to turn the decrepit old hall into a temple.

Gina Newman, a planning commissioner, called it “fabulous” that the Buddhists aim to join Bristol’s melting pot to worship and showcase their culture and faith.

“These are truly lovely people,” said attorney Tim Furey. “They are gentle souls.”

The plan calls for renovating the old union hall at 247 Park St. so that it can house three to five monks who would live there. The old meeting space would be used for worship and other events.

Supporters said there are four major celebrations annually that would likely bring about 250 people to the hall, but most of the time it would be a tranquil, quiet place.

The temple’s quick approval in Bristol stands in sharp contrast to the outcry in Newtown when Buddhists sought to construct a small temple on 10 acres of former farmland – a tempest that ultimately led land use regulators to shoot down the plan.

In Bristol, however, the request drew a crowd to Thursday’s Zoning Commission session to urge approval of the idea, not to fight it.

Paul Balavender of Canton said he’s been a part Buddhist community since he worked in refugee camps on the Cambodian border almost three decades ago.

“They are a very respectful, hardworking, warm people,” Balavender said.

He said that welcoming the temple presented “a unique opportunity for Bristol” to embrace the Buddhists and to distinguish the community from the treatment shown it in Newtown.

Tom Borden, a Willis Street resident, said that the hall “begs for redevelopment.”

He said that the temple would be “a great addition to this community. Diversity is a good thing.”

John Lodovico, vice chairman of the zoning panel, said the building is currently in “great disrepair” and fixing it would benefit the neighborhood around it.

He said the hall was once a site of “great hustle and bustle” that would contrast sharply with the quiet, contemplative life of the monks.

But, Lodovico said, the new use for the structure would represent “a big plus for Park Street.”

“This is an easy one” to approve, Lodovido said.

“It would be an improvement to Park Street. It would be an improvement to the community. It would be an improvement to the West End,” said Frank Johnson, chairman of the zoning board.

City Planner Alan Weiner asked commissioners to put the brakes on the plan for four months until a study of the West End is complete, but the panel brushed aside his suggestion.

Furey said it would amount to “an unconstitutional taking” to deny the zoning request in order to wait for the study, since land use overseers could have imposed a moratorium in the area if they’d felt the study was that important.

The union hall could accommodate parking most of the time for its activities, but on the four busy celebrations, there would be an overflow of cars in the area.

Furey said they can park at Rockwell Park across the street, a move park commissioners have already approved. The Buddhists said they’d work with the city to try to avoid conflicting with park or Muzzy Field events.

With the zoning approval in hand, Furey said, the society is hoping to arrange financing for the project soon. It’s unclear how quickly the temple could be ready for use.

But officials said they’re anxious to get started.

“They’re just looking for the opportunity to have a true home and be part of the community,” Furey said.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Minor takes issue with zoning chief

Reporter Jackie Majerus wrote this story:

City Councilor Craig Minor is taking issue with zoning board Chairman Frank Johnson's description of the board's role in determining a new K-8 school site.
Minor, who is the city planner for the town of Cromwell, said Johnson was wrong when he said zoning commissioners would have to determine whether a school would be the "highest and best use" of the former Scalia sand pit that school officials are eyeing for the new building.
"The commission does not take into consideration whether this is the best use of the property, or even a good use of the property," said Minor. "That's not for them to say."
Referring to the "highest and best use," said Minor, is also not for Johnson to say, either. He said it's a specific term used by real estate appraisers to "refer to the activity that makes the most profit for the land owner."
The phrase is not in Bristol's zoning regulations, Minor said.
"The zoning commission's job is to make sure that an application complies with all of the zoning regulations," said Minor. "Finding the most profitable way to develop a piece of property is the job of the free market, not local government."
Johnson said he wasn't speaking as a real estate appraiser.
"I'm not considering the land value," said Johnson. "I'm strictly looking at the use of the land."
He said one of the things his board has to consider is whether or not a school is an "appropriate use" for the land and thus, deserving of a special permit.
In doing so, Johnson said, they'll take the impact on the surrounding neighborhood into account, as well as traffic, the infrastructure and public safety issues.
"We will take a very careful look at this," said Johnson.
When zoning board members wrote the regulations, Johnson said, they intended for applications for special permits to be taken on a case by case basis, since what the applicant wants is not allowed automatically by right.
"If I misspoke, I misspoke. I'm not so sure that I did," said Johnson. "I'm certainly not apologizing for anything I said."
City Planner Alan Weiner said Minor is right that "highest and best use" is a real estate appraisal term. But he said he's heard members of many land use boards in Bristol and other towns use it.
In the real estate appraisal world, it has to do with what use of the land would be most profitable, Weiner said.
"The term has a very specific meaning in that context," said Weiner. "I'm presuming they didn't mean it in the real estate appraisal sense."
Minor said he didn't believe that Johnson had any conflict of interest, and Weiner said he has faith that the zoning board will do its job.
"When the zoning commission looks at applications, they know what they need to do," said Weiner. "They know what their role is and they know what their responsibility is."
The plan to build a new school on the old sand pit is expected to come before the Bristol Planning Commission on Wednesday, Sept. 24. At that meeting, planning commissioners will be asked to make a recommendation on the proposal.
If they recommend against it, city councilors will have to have a two-thirds majority in order to move forward with the school on that property.
Minor said he doesn't know how the planning board will rule.
"There are problems with this site from the planning commission's point of view," said Minor, who said its inaccessibility to pedestrians, or children walking to school may be an issue, as well as its remote location. "The planning commission might not think it's the best place for it."
Minor said he supports the Scalia site for the school, but "grudgingly," calling it a "distant second best" after the property on Park and Divinity streets.
Though he preferred Park and Divinity, Minor said, he thinks it's better for the city to move the school project ahead than wait any longer.
"I don't think Park Street has the votes on the city council," said Minor.
If the planning board recommends against the sand pit site, it will set the project back a year, said Minor, "and it might even kill it."
Only if the project moves forward after the stop at the planning board – either by an affirmative recommendation or by a two-thirds majority on the council – would it at some point come before the zoning commission.
If that happens, the zoning board would be asked to consider whether the residentially-zoned Scalia property deserves a special permit for a school. The project couldn't go ahead without it.
If the project does make it to the zoning board, Minor said, it must be approved or denied on its merits, not on whether or not another piece of property is better suited for a school.
"The planning commission can say those things, but not the zoning commission," said Minor. "Certainly the planning commission should be involved in this decision."

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Zoning wants a say about school plans

Reporter Jackie Majerus wrote this story:

When city councilors and school officials move ahead with plans to build two new K-8 schools without first getting land use approvals, they're taking a risk of derailing the project, said zoning board Chairman Frank Johnson.
The plans to buy a former Scalia sand pit to use as a site for a proposed West End school require a recommendation from the planning board and a special permit from the city zoning commission.
The planning commission meets next week and is expected to consider the question of a school on the Scalia site then. They'll be asked to make a recommendation as to whether or not the site is appropriate for a school.
If the planning board recommends against it, the city can still move forward, but the vote by city councilors must be by a two-thirds majority rather than a simple majority.
If the project moves beyond the planning commission's recommendation, at some point it will land in the lap of zoning commissioners, who will have to decide whether that parcel of land in a residential zone should get a special permit to build a school there.
"The zoning commission's purview would be to determine whether or not that's the highest and best use for that land," said Johnson.
While Johnson said he could not speak for other zoning commissioners, he said he would personally "have to be convinced" that a school is the "highest and best" use for the property.
Johnson said he wouldn't want the zoning board to be the stumbling block that keeps the project from happening, but said the city's delay in consulting with land use boards sets them up for that role.
"They're putting us in a position where our decision is very late in the process," said Johnson.
It's difficult for the zoning commissioners to get their first look at a proposal after the city's already spent a bundle of money on the project, Johnson said.
In that case, Johnson said, the city may expect commissioners to "rubber stamp" the application.
But school and town officials shouldn't count on it, Johnson said.
"While that may have happened in the past on school projects, there's no guarantee it will always happen," Johnson said.
Johnson, who has served on the zoning board for two decades, said it wouldn't be right – or wise – to assume that the special permit application will sail through his commission.
"This has still got a lot of obstacles to go," said Johnson, before the deal is done.


City Councilor Craig Minor comments:

I was surprised to read Frank Johnson say that "The zoning commission's purview would be to determine whether or not that's the highest and best use for that land." "Highest and best use" is a phrase that real estate appraisers use to refer to the activity that makes the most profit for the land owner. The phrase is not in the Bristol Zoning Regulations, and according to the Connecticut Supreme Court, "The highest and best use…is not a controlling purpose of zoning".
The Zoning Commission's job is to make sure that an application complies with all of the zoning regulations. Finding the most profitable way to develop a piece of property is the job of the free market, not local government.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Rating the city's websites

Since an increasingly large percentage of Bristol's population is using the internet daily to work, play and gather information -- something that's true for all of my blog readers -- it's crucial that a city government tries to keep up with the times.
I thought I'd start a weekly review of how various Bristol government websites are handling the task. I'll even grade them, from F to A.
Today, because I don't want to sound too harsh, I'll begin with a section I know is doing a good job: the land use division of public works.
Now the first thing you'll note is that this is about as far from flashy and hip as a website can be. City Planner Alan Weiner is not going to get hired away by the Disney Channel.
But the site is clear and simple.
There are links to the various boards - zoning, planning, wetlands, etc. - as well as to major studies such as the Route 72 Corridor Study and the city's master plan. The land use regulations are also right there.
The board links are up to date with the current agendas, minutes, and hearing notices.
The membership lists of each board are up to date, too, which is nice. They don't include email addresses or phone numbers for board members, but perhaps with land use, that wouldn't be such a great idea anyhow.
So with a minimum of effort, someone can easily find out an awful lot about land use in Bristol and what's going on.
What isn't there? Details about current applications, which could be submitted in electronic format so they'd be freely available online, too. But that's probably not going to happen for awhile yet. I don't even know if the city could require it.
Anyway, the land use office's website gets a solid A, particularly if you stack it up against what other municipal divisions are doing. We'll get to them in future weeks.

Grades to date:
Public works land use division - A

Update: Well, it turns out that the land use office website is even better than I thought.
In fact, I'm told by the city planner, "each application included on the pre-meeting legal notice and agenda of each land use board's upcoming meeting is linked (via its application number) to an electronic copy of the application, along with a "locater" map that highlights the subject property."
The office scans the applications as they come, then prepares and scans in the accompanying locater map.
That's terrific. This is absolutely top notch.
Here's what City Planner Alan Weiner wrote to me in full:
Thanks for the kind words on your blog about the Land Use Office's website; your acknowledgment of our efforts is greatly appreciated. Largely through Kacie's [Kacie Costello, the assistant planner] hard work (and Web savvy), we strive to keep the site comprehensive, timely, informative, and user-friendly to everyone who uses it. At the same time, we're constantly on the lookout for ways in which to improve the site, looking to add features that will make it even more useful to the public.
One point of clarification: near the end of your article, you observe, "What isn't there? Details about current applications, which could be submitted in electronic format so they'd be freely available online, too." In fact, each application included on the pre-meeting legal notice and agenda of each land use board's upcoming meeting is linked (via its application number) to an electronic copy of the application, along with a "locater" map that highlights the subject property. (We scan in each application as it's received, then prepare and scan in the accompanying "locater" map.)
As to the design of the website itself, I agree completely that it's pretty unspectacular, but unfortunately we're bound by the limitations of the master template that the city uses. Believe me, I wish we could improve its looks!

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Downtown zoning rules hearing on March 31st

Note from City Planner Alan Weiner:

Greetings!

This is to advise you that the Bristol Zoning Commission has scheduled a public hearing for Monday, March 31, 2008, on a series of proposed amendments to both the Downtown Business (BD) zone provisions of the Bristol Zoning Regulations and the Downtown Business zone on the city's Zoning Map. The hearing will be held in the First Floor Meeting Room, Bristol City Hall, 111 North Main St., beginning at 6:30 PM.

You can view and download the latest draft of the proposed text amendments and the proposed zoning map changes - along with a variety of supporting materials - at http://www.ci.bristol.ct.us/content/3326/8362/default.aspx

These proposed amendments, developed by the Zoning Commission and its staff over the course of many months at numerous work sessions, are designed to make the BD zoning regulations more flexible and user-friendly, while at the same time maintaining the development principles for downtown Bristol articulated in the city's 2000 Plan of Conservation and Development.

We encourage you to share this information with other individuals and groups who you feel might have an interest in these proposed amendments. Similarly, we encourage you to forward the Weblink specified above to all interested parties.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact the Land Use Office by telephone at 860/584-6225 or by e-mail at landuseoffice@ci.bristol.ct.us. Thanks in advance for your interest and participation in this important process.

Regards,
Alan L. Weiner, AICP
City Planner

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Downtown zoning rules on agenda Wednesday night

Here's a note that City Planner Alan Weiner sent out the other day that I forgot until now to post:

This is to remind you that the Bristol Zoning Commission will be holding a public information session on Wednesday, January 30, 2008, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, beginning at 6:30 PM regarding its proposed amendments to the Downtown Business (BD) zone provisions of the city's Zoning Regulations and Zoning Map. A copy of the meeting agenda is enclosed for your information.

As previously noted, the purpose of this meeting is to give the Commission an opportunity to explain the proposed amendments and answer any questions that the public might have about them, as well as to give all interested parties an opportunity to comment about the proposed amendments in an "informal" setting (i.e., not in the context of a formal public hearing).

To view and download the proposed amendments (as well as other supporting materials), go to http://www.ci.bristol.ct.us/content/3326/8362/default.aspx

If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact the Land Use Office by telephone at 860/584-6225 or by e-mail at landuseoffice@ci.bristol.ct.us. Thanks in advance for your interest and participation in this important process.

And here's the meeting agenda:

BRISTOL ZONING COMMISSION

SPECIAL MEETING OF JANUARY 30, 2008
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, BRISTOL CITY HALL
6:30 P.M.

I. Update of Bristol Zoning Regulations and Zoning Map
1. Draft of proposed amendments to the Downtown Business (BD) zone
a. Overview of proposed amendments
b. Public input and feedback (questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, etc.)
c. Next steps

II. Adjournment

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

New downtown business regs proposed

Just sent in by City Planner Alan Weiner:

On behalf of the Bristol Zoning Commission, I'm pleased to advise you that the latest draft (v.3.0) of proposed amendments to the Downtown Business (BD) zone provisions of the Bristol Zoning Regulations and a map of proposed changes to the Downtown Business zone on the city's Zoning Map are now available for public review. You can view and download these documents - along with other supporting materials - at the following Web page:

http://www.ci.bristol.ct.us/content/3326/8362/default.aspx

These proposed text amendments and map changes were developed by the Zoning Commission and its staff over the course of many months at numerous work sessions; they represent the Commission's best thinking to date on changes designed to make the BD zoning regulations more flexible and user-friendly, while at the same time maintaining the development principles for downtown Bristol articulated in the city's 2000 Plan of Conservation and Development. At this stage in the process, both the proposed text and map amendments are subject to further revisions by the Commission as a result of public comment and feedback.

To that end, the Zoning Commission will hold a public information session to discuss these proposals on Wednesday, January 30, 2008, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, beginning at 6:30 PM. At this meeting, the Commission will explain the proposed amendments, answer any questions that citizens might have about them, and solicit comments from all interested parties in an "informal" setting (i.e., not in the context of a formal public hearing). Depending upon the nature and extent of the public feedback that the Commission receives at this meeting, the proposed amendments may be revised further, after which the Commission will either hold another public information session (if deemed necessary or desirable) or schedule a formal public hearing on the draft amendments.

We encourage you to print out and share these drafts with other individuals and groups who you feel might have an interest in these proposed amendments. Similarly, we encourage you to forward the Weblink specified above to all interested parties.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact the Land Use Office by telephone at 860/584-6225 or by e-mail at landuseoffice@ci.bristol.ct.us. Thanks in advance for your interest and participation in this important process.

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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Two stories call Scalia site into question

Don't miss these two stories by reporter Jackie Majerus in today's Bristol Press:

Zoning chair: Scalia school site bad idea

and

City planner not consulted

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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Zoning, finance reappointments made Tuesday

BRISTOL – Four longtime city commissioners were reappointed Tuesday.
City councilors unanimously agreed to offer four-year terms to Board of Finance commissioners Roald Erling and John Smith. Their terms run until 2011.
The council also backed four-year reappointments to the chairman and vice chairman of the city’s Zoning Commission. Frank Johnson, the panel’s chairman, and John Lodovico were each tapped to serve on the volunteer board until 2011.
But two councilors opposed Johnson and Lodovico.
Councilor Craig Minor said he favors term limits for land use commissioners because of the need for new blood and the loss of effectiveness by people who stay too long.
But only Councilor Kevin McCauley sided with Minor so the pair were reappointed on a 5-2 vote.
Both Johnson and Lodovico also serve on the board of the new Bristol Downtown Development Corp., which has the responsibility of revitalizing the mall property.

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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com