Mystic — Despite pleas from residents to protect their homes, the Stonington Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday approved a controversial regulation change that eliminates the required buffers between commercial uses and homes within the LS-5 zone in downtown Mystic and Pawcatuck.

The existing regulation required between 10 to 20 feet of screening between commercial use, food take out and liquor sales and residential uses and zones.

The new regulations, which take effect July 10, will require a 15-foot buffer between commercial uses and adjacent residential zones. But it eliminates the requirements to provide buffers between commercial and residential uses inside the LS-5 commercial zone. The commission, though, still can require buffers on a case-by-case basis through the special use permit process in which public hearings are held.

The plan has been strongly supported by the Stonington Economic Development Commission as a way to spark investment in existing properties by removing barriers to development and increasing the grand list while preserving the villages of Mystic and Pawcatuck. The Planning and Zoning Commission had rejected the same measure proposed by Washington Street commercial property owner Suzanne Moore in June 2016 but then decided to reconsider it.

“I have a problem with residents not being protected,” Pawcatuck resident Carlene Donnarummo told the commission at Tuesday night’s public hearing. “Please put the residents first. In most cases, they were here before the businesses.”

Paul Sartor, a resident of Jackson Avenue in Mystic, challenged the commission “to just be honest with everyone” and admit the town cares more about tourism, vacation rentals, bars and restaurants.

Director of Planning Jason Vincent said great deference already is given to residential property owners in town through the regulations.

The Planning Department’s report on the potential negative impacts on homeowners states that modifying the regulations in some cases would lead to commercial renovations or development next to residential uses in the LS-5 zone.

“In some cases, individual home owners who have been relying on the current regulations to prevent an adjacent commercial use would have their expectations challenged. In general, there is the potential for more complaints about management issues such as noise, traffic and other negative impacts on residential uses in the commercial zone,” the report states. “Due to the specific uses requiring extra buffering (food take out and liquor sales) there is additional potential for residences to be next to uses with particular public safety or nuisance issues such as bars, although this may be mitigated by the Special Use Permit process.”

It adds there is also “the potential that some individual residences in the LS-5 Zone could see a decrease in property values based on direct proximity to a commercial use that impacts quality of life. However, any such potential may be off-set or even exceeded by the increase in their property values that may occur because of possible new opportunities for commercial redevelopment of their own property.”

j.wojtas@theday.com