North Stonington — Proposed changes to the town's zoning regulations on the western end of Route 2 could allow for larger scale development, including outdoor recreational facilities, if they are approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

The changes could transform the sparsely populated western end of town, a few minutes away from Foxwoods Resort Casino, which is largely zoned residential, into a more commercial corridor.

Residents can comment on the proposed change at a public hearing in Town Hall on Thursday, Sept. 7.

The zone would encompass a number of parcels of land on either side of Route 2 along the town's border with the Mashantucket Pequot reservation and Ledyard.

Planning, Development and Zoning Official Juliet Hodge said that the town has long seen the potential for development in the area.

In 2012, the Economic Development Action Plan suggested that the industrial area be expanded to take advantage of the additional casino traffic.

The area was also included as a "growth area" in the Plan of Conservation and Development, approved in 2013.

During the community discussions held before drafting the Plan of Conservation and Development, Hodge said, "the town was pretty united in that they are concerned about their tax base" and were interested in diversifying it with additional development.

However, for the most part, the western end of Route 2 has remained undeveloped because it remained in the residential R-80 zone.

Of the 368 acres of land considered in the new zone, 23 acres are occupied by businesses, 40 acres are used as residences, and 165 acres are undeveloped.

The Planning and Zoning Commission has been working on fine tuning the zone change for months, and has met with residents in the area as well as representatives from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

Hodge said another point made by residents prior to the Plan of Conservation and Development was focused on preserving the town's rural character. She said that by keeping the commercial areas close to where it exists and toward the edges of the town, it will keep it in "areas that won't be damaging to the town's rural character."

The changes to the regulations would, according to the proposed zoning change, "allow a more broad mix of uses that may include retail, hospitality and resort services, other business uses as well as residential uses."

Uses include things like outdoor adventure parks, a recreational ropes- and obstacle-course business, as well as vacation resort complexes, which includes lodging and outdoor activities like horseback riding and swimming.

Art galleries, athletic clubs, community centers, indoor water parks and conference centers would also be allowed in the area.

These uses would attract more tourism-driven businesses and are in line with the vision put forward by the Mashantuckets, who have said it is seeking to diversify its recreational offerings.

"I want it to relate more to the casino but still provide the type of investment that will help the rest of the town grow," Hodge said.

Critically, the proximity of the land to the tribal land would also allow developers to connect to water and sewer.

To fend off commercial strip-style development, the regulations would require a five-acre minimum parcel size for development and allow retail businesses only as an accessory use to a larger development.

The land itself does limit the potential for "anything too monstrous," Hodge explained. Much of it either has a slope of greater than 15 percent or is wetlands, making it unusable.

n.lynch@theday.com

If You Go

What: Public hearing on proposed zone change

When: Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.

Where: New Town Hall Meeting Room at 40 Main St.