Mystic — Stonington First Selectman Rob Simmons and residents and management of the Stone Ridge retirement community urged the town Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday night to approve a new floating zone that would pave the way for a $60 million medical, research and residential campus on 70 acres of the Perkins Farm property off Jerry Browne Road.

Developer David Lattizori of Groton has filed an application seeking to amend the zoning regulations to create the Greenway Development District, which would require the preservation of at least 50 percent of the site as open space and allow a mix of uses on at least 50 acres of land in four separate zones.

During the commission’s public hearing on the project, Simmons pointed out that Lattizori already has approval for a 36-lot subdivision that would preserve little open space, create numerous curb cuts on Jerry Browne Road, place septic systems near the town’s water supply and add little to the grand list.

“So the question I have is, 'Why can we not do better?'” Simmons said.

Simmons said the Lattizori project, which also would need master plan and site plan approval if the new zone is approved by the commission, preserves a large open space buffer along Jerry Browne Road across from Stone Ridge, has access off Coogan Boulevard, provides sewer and water service for the property and substantially adds to the town’s grand list.

“I believe we are on the cusp of a new beginning for the Perkins Farm,” he said, adding that the new zone provides a tool to do that. “I firmly believe that this is the way to proceed with this very significant project. It has worked before in this town in other forms and can work for us now if we have the foresight and courage to act. The alternative is to lose an incredible opportunity for the town.”

Residents of Stone Ridge had opposed previous commercial projects on the farm, but Tuesday night they spoke in support of the new proposal.

Lattizori told the commission that he was about to sign a contract with a major national homebuilder last year to proceed with the approved plan when he received a call from residents of Stone Ridge, who had concerns about the impact of the 36 homes.

They asked if there was higher and better use for the site, such as a medical and research campus.

Lattizori said he has now spent the past year in discussions with the community about the idea, and the new plan is a result of those discussions.

“This zone was not born out of a vacuum. A lot of time, thought and financial resources and the last year of my life was spent reaching out to the community to see what their needs are,” he said.

Lattizori said the project would become the town's biggest taxpayer, generating $1 million a year in tax revenue as well as 360 jobs, as opposed to the 36-lot subdivision that would create no net increase in tax revenue and no jobs.

It also may bring natural gas service to town.

The proposed development would cluster development along Interstate 95 and not be seen from Jerry Browne Road. It would leave the wooded area and meadow that front Jerry Browne Road from Coogan Boulevard to Pequotsepos Road intact.

Lattizori stressed that he grew up here and runs his family’s national real estate business from Mystic.

“I’m not an out-of-town, out-of-touch real estate developer,” he said. “I’ve lived here my entire life.”

Commission member Frances Hoffman, though, cautioned her fellow commissioners not to get caught up in the excitement over the plan but to look at the overall impact the new zone could have on various aspects of the town.

Others speaking in favor of the proposal Tuesday night ranged from Mystic Aquarium and the Stonington Economic Development Commission to Old Mystic Fire Chief Ken Richards and the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce.

j.wojtas@theday.com