Proposed district would give zoners more say

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PROPSECT — The Planning and Zoning Commission is working on revisions to the zoning regulations that will allow it to have more control over gateways into town.

The commission is proposing adding a gateway overlay district in the regulations. The district would stretch along Route 69 from the Waterbury town line and Route 68 from the Naugatuck border to where the two roads meet each other in the center of town.

Planning and Zoning Chairman Gil Graveline said the overlay would allow the commission to have a say in what types of construction occurs in the district.

“We can take more interest in the construction style and type of buildings in that district,” Graveline said.

Graveline said the proposal came about because the commission realized it wouldn’t have had a say in the design of a building being built.

“I think our initial fact is we have no control over what style building is being built. You can come in and put up a square industrial building in the center of town and we’d have no say,” Graveline said. “We want to make sure the building and style is in coordination with everything on that street.”

Graveline said the commission would like to emulate the colonial style of buildings that are currently in the center of town.

“They are all nice and fit into the style of what we are looking for,” he said.

A public hearing was held on the proposal Dec. 2. The main concern from the public, according to Graveline, was that the zone itself would change. This is not the case, he said.

The overlay would only allow the commission to have a say in the design of the buildings, not make any changes to what is or isn’t allowed in the current zones, Graveline said.

The public hearing was continued to the commission’s Dec. 16 meeting.