Perkins Farm plan remains the talk of the town

Mystic - The town's planning staff has told the Stonington Planning and Zoning Commission that it should give little weight to the master plan presented by developer David Lattizori for the Perkins Farm property and the extensive comments that the public has made about it.

Instead, the commission should concentrate on the text of an amendment that only allows creation of a new zone, according to Director of Planning Bill Haase and Town Planner Keith Brynes. Lattizori presented a master plan to the commission to give it an idea of what could be built if the new zone were approved.

The recommendation comes in their 17-page report on Lattizori's controversial application to create a Highway Transition Design District. That would be the first step toward construction of Briarwood Walk at Mystic, an estimated $70 million project that would contain a mix of shops, offices, townhouses and a hotel. It's Lattizori's fourth attempt to develop the 70-acre residentially zoned site off Jerry Browne Road for commercial use.

During the three nights of public hearings so far, many of the comments and criticisms of Lattizori's proposal have been about topics such as the economic viability of the project and its effect on businesses, not the actual text.

The commission will review the staff report and ask questions when it resumes the hearing on at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday at Mystic Middle School. Lattizori's attorney, Ted Ladwig, will then respond to comments made by the public and planning staff. The commission hopes to close the hearing on Tuesday. It would then have 65 days to make a decision.

The staff report points out that if the commission approves the zoning amendment, Lattizori would still need the commission to approve an actual master plan and site plan, both of which would require separate hearings and approvals. The Perkins farm site is the only property in town that would meet the requirements of the proposal.

The report also recommends the commission consider how consistent the proposal is with two town documents, the Plan of Conservation and Development and the Comprehensive Plan.

But the report states that the commission is allowed to approve a zoning amendment that does not conform to the Plan of Conservation and Development. The POCD recommendation for the Perkins Farm property calls for a transitional zone between the commercial uses of the Golden Triangle and the residential uses to the east and the Stone Ridge retirement community across the street. The plan suggests a zone with professional offices as well as active adult and age restricted housing.

If the commission does decide to approve the application, the staff report recommends that it address several issues first such as the proposed maximum allowed hotel height in the zone of 58 feet or 4 stories, whichever is greater. That height is taller than the height allowed in any commercial zone in town. It also suggests that if the old homestead remains it should be a protected resource.

The report also points out that the proposed regulations calls for the maximum footprint of each building to not exceed 35,000 square feet but the maximum hotel footprint is 40,000 square feet. It suggests the commission deal with this discrepancy.

Lattizori's proposal calls for 50 percent of the site to remain as contiguous open space. His experts estimate the development would create 500 permanent jobs and $505,000 in annual tax revenue for the town.

Opponents said the project would damage the town's character and businesses. They also have said the plan is incompatible with the plan of conservation and development.