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A new plan with fewer houses has been proposed for the 3.96-acre Gaida property at 405 Long Hill Avenue.
The application to the Planning & Zoning Commission calls for four single-family homes on lots from 0.3 to 0.4 acres, with 2.14 acres set aside as common area for the Brookview Heights development.
Numerous attempts to develop the property in the past have failed to get zoning approval, including a six-lot plan last year, due to concerns about density and the large amounts of fill used on the land through the years.
The parcel is owned by Jack and Josephine Gaida, who have a pending appeal of a past Zoning Board of Appeals denial now in court.
The new application seeks to create a Planned Development District (PDD) on the property. Parts of the land now are in two different zoning districts — most is light industrial while some land along Long Hill Avenue is zoned Residence-1, requiring one acre per house.
The land has an existing single-family home on it and is between existing home lots and the Route 8 highway, and essentially across the street from Sylvan Drive.
The new lots would be accessed from a common driveway with a cul-de-sac off Long Hill Avenue. Houses would have three bedrooms, two bathrooms and two-car garages. Lots would be individually owned while a homeowners association would control the common area.
The Planning and Zoning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the application for Feb. 27, when the applicant will present details on the plan and residents can offer input.
The applicant also is seeking Inland Wetlands Commission approval for the project. The applicant made a presentation to the IWC and public comments were heard at the Jan. 10 IWC meeting, and the process is expected to last a few meetings.
John Cook, Shelton inland wetlands coordinator, said the IWC must consider the impact of all the fill brought to the site in the past, including older material located below more recently deposited fill, and whether any material needs to be removed and stabilized before any development can take place.
“We certainly know there’s been mass filling,” Cook said. “Whether it was on wetlands soil, we don’t know.”
Many neighbors have opposed past development plans at the site due to concerns with the fill, the number of housing units proposed, and the limited 30 feet of road frontage on Long Hill Avenue.
Dog day care approved
A canine daycare and grooming facility is coming to lower Bridgeport Avenue.
Jenna Intelisano Lupo has received P&Z approval to open All My Lovin at 917 Bridgeport Avenue, in a large commercial building that now includes a medical office and once housed a fitness center.
The business will occupy 900 square feet, have bath and grooming tables, and be open six days a week. It should be able to accommodate up to two dozen dogs. Lupo has worked at a veterinarian facility that offers grooming and boarding for more than 20 years.
The zoning approval was contingent on Lupo receiving all necessary state and health licenses and permits.