Norwich — The City Council will hold a public hearing Monday on proposed major changes in city zoning and accompanying regulations that would convert some residential sections of New London Turnpike near Three Rivers Community College to commercial zones, expand other commercial zones on the West Side and allow agribusiness uses in the Plain Hill rural farmland area.

The City Council, which serves as the zoning board, will hold a public hearing at its 6:30 p.m. meeting Monday in Council Chambers at City Hall.

The maps and proposed new text zoning regulations are available on the city website, www.norwichct.org under the heading for “Comprehensive Plan Update Project” in the listings for boards and commissions.

City officials who worked with the plan update committee said the proposed changes reflect current conditions and development.

Since Three Rivers consolidated its two campuses at 574 New London Turnpike, traffic along Route 82 and New London Turnpike has increased significantly. 

The proposal would convert the portion of New London Turnpike and Jones Court from the college to abutting commercial property on Route 82 from half-acre residential zoning to general commercial. About 45 single-family properties lie within the proposed change.

The proposed zone change would not force residents to move or sell, city Planning and Development Director Peter Davis said.

The homes would become non-conforming uses, but potential developers could approach homeowners offering to buy or lease their properties for commercial development.

At the southern end of New London Turnpike, four large parcels, including Malerba's Farm — a retail greenhouse and produce store — at 374 New London Turnpike would be changed from half-acre residential zoning to general commercial.

The Commission on the City Plan hired the Norwich Community Development Corp. for $50,000 to assist in writing the new plan and zoning changes. 

NCDC Vice Chairman Jason Vincent, former Stonington town planner, said the new zoning regulations would be color-coded to better tell property owners what development is allowed and what permits are needed.

Vincent said some of the proposed zoning map changes address the problem of small lot size and cramped commercial development along busy Route 82 and on Route 32 near the Montville border.

In several areas, residential properties directly behind commercial parcels on the two state roads would be converted to commercial development to allow commercial development to expand to the rear.

Davis said the regulations would prohibit rear driveways onto the residential streets.

A large tract of rural residential land behind Holiday Inn and two condominium developments on the west side of Interstate 395 would be converted to "planned commercial" development.

Another large tract in Occum stretching from Route 97 to Canterbury Turnpike would be changed from multifamily zoning to general commercial. Davis said these two changes would address the city's lack of available commercial land.

The plan also calls for converting seven city-owned parcels totaling 83.7 acres adjacent to the eastern edge of Mohegan Park to “residential open space” land with the intent to add them to the park.

City Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll said changing the zone wouldn't automatically add the land to the park. The City Council would have to pass a resolution to extend the park.

A controversy arose in 2003, the last time the city updated zoning maps, when city officials proposed converting rural farmland at the top of Plain Hill Road to business park land.

The City Council ultimately rejected the idea in response to residents' opposition. A residential subdivision was built on one of the farms soon afterward.

This time, the proposal would keep the land as either one-acre or two-acre residential zoning, but would allow agri-business that could include cheese-making, wineries, juice-making or ice cream processing businesses.

Davis said the city's current zoning regulations have no provisions for such production, and in the push nationwide toward “farm to table” operations, the change could open Norwich's farms to arrangements that have proven popular in nearby towns.

“If we could have a Maple Lane Farms-type operation or Buttonwood Farms, that would be great,” Davis said, referring to operations in Preston and Griswold respectively.

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Public hearing on proposed major zoning changes proposed in Norwich.

Monday, Oct. 19, 6:30 p.m.

Council Chambers, Norwich City Hall.

For information, contact Norwich Community Development Corp. Vice President Jason Vincent, (860) 887-6964, jvincent@askncdc.com

New proposed regulations available at www.norwichct.org, at the city planning office, 23 Union St. and at the Norwich Community Development Corp. office, 77 Main St.