Zone change before commission

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PROSPECT — A Waterbury Road resident is seeking a zone change to help sell her home.

Cathy Bochicchio, who lives at 86 Waterbury Road, has applied to change to zone of her property from residential to business. The Planning and Zoning Commission opened a public hearing on the application on Aug. 1.

At the meeting, Bochicchio told the commission she’s had her house on the market for over year and is having a tough time selling it. She said the home has garnered more interest from people who want to live there and open a business in the house, like a salon, but that isn’t allowed in a residential zone.

The property is .46 of an acre, according to the property card, and is in the town’s gateway overlay zone, which allows for a mix of retail, industrial and residential uses. The gateway overlay zone stretches along Route 68 from the Naugatuck border to the center of town and along Route 69 from the center of town to the Waterbury line. While it allows for commercial uses, the zone is designed to give the commission more oversight over new commercial development in the zone.

Several residents that live near 86 Waterbury Road raised concerns about changing the property’s zone, including that a business would increase traffic on the road and reduce the value of the residential properties that abut the land.

While 86 Waterbury Road is a small parcel, neighbors also raised concerns that there are vacant residential parcels next to it that could be bought and get a zone change, which could open the door to a larger development in the future.

The commission continued the hearing to its Aug. 15 meeting. Once the hearing is closed, the commission has 65 days to make a decision.