Groton - The Noank Zoning Commission Tuesday will hold a public hearing on a proposal that could affect the future of the former Noank school.

The petition for a zoning amendment dates back to June, when a group of neighbors had opposed the town's proposal to turn the school into a temporary senior center while the center on Newtown Road is upgraded. The Noank Zoning Commission approved that plan in July.

The center was allowed as a recreational use under the Zoning Commission's regulation that deals with parks and playgrounds, but there was much debate during the process about the definition of recreation.

The petition, by Steve Anderson of 53 Williams St., would delete “municipally owned recreational facilities and buildings” from what is allowed in the residential zone and add language so it reads “Parks and playgrounds and other outdoor passive recreational uses.”

According to the petition, Williams seeks to clarify language and “to avoid broadly designating permitted uses which are potentially incompatible with the residential character of the RU-20 district.”

The TCORS law firm represented some neighbors during the town's application for the temporary senior center, but regulatory analyst Bill Sweeney said they are not actively retained by them at this point.

Attorney Robert Tobin had said this summer that a group of Prospect Hill Road neighbors formed a group called the Prospect Hill Conservancy Inc. and would like to see the property become passive recreation or other open space.

The town plans to form a committee to study the future permanent use of the school, which closed in January. The senior center is expected to move in this month or next.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Noank Fire House, 10 Ward Ave.

K.WARCHUT@THEDAY.COM

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