001Good evening. At 7 o'clock, we're calling to order the August 11th, 2025 meeting. Roll call and we'll start from the left. >> Scott Eisen, >> Rrista Mala, regular member. >> John, secretary, >> Peter Marian, vice chair, >> plat chairman. Adam Quagaroli >> and Charlene Levo is absent and excused. >> Agenda review. Does anybody have any additions, questions? >> Uh you should have found on your desks if you didn't get an earlier copy in the day uh Commissioner Matt Smith who joined us last month submitted it for resignation. Uh other than that, I have no other agenda review items. >> Okay. Public comment. Anybody got any public comment that doesn't apply to any of the public hearing? No. Okay. So, we'll open the public hearing PZ 25-6. I move that we do that. >> I'll make
002a motion. >> Second. >> Okay. So, the applicant for that's here. >> No. >> Yeah. didn't recognize number one. Sorry. >> Come today, as you see there, loan looking to convert my single family house to a two family so my mother could live on the first floor. >> Um came through here in April and I was missing one document, a surveyor report. So you have that now. So, anything you'd like to tell us about this or >> so the sever report just shows that you can park two cars um per apartment. >> I think in the regulation it's like 1.25 cars plus 75 for like a uh friend car but and in the end it's basically two cars per so making sure that they can't impede each other when they back out. So you'll see
003there it's a singular driveway but then it divides or wise at the end so that you can have two cars on either side and then you'll have the common driveway getting back up. It's >> a pretty big driveway. >> Yeah. Very long. >> Yeah. >> And you're going to go out past that fence that you have there now for your driveway. >> Yes. I was going to relocate the fence. I have chickens so I was going to relocate the fence in front of the cars and then I was going to just gravel that section. Use the gravel to extend the driveway to the left, follow the side of the house, and then bring that around the front of the house so that all the stone looks the same. >> The only thing I have to
004say is that one parking spot next to the house looks like it's going to be awful close to your little bumpout. >> That one parking spot that's next to the house, >> when you go to back out, it looks like be real careful not to hit the house. Yeah, they had made sure there was a 9 ft per parking spot, but yeah, it is just over the limits of whether it's in the regulation. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Any commissioners have questions? >> No, looked good. I drove by. I looked at it the other day. I think it looks fine. Finally, we're able to get a surveyor. That's the hardest thing to do right now. >> Yeah. >> I haven't had a good track record. my uh >> architect passed away in February that I
005was using and then >> surveyor >> the surveyor passed away in June. >> So I'm not having too good of track with contractors. >> Hopefully I have good luck with much work myself. >> Is the um you're not if I recall you're not changing the facade or the front of the the h house, right? >> No, nothing external changing. Um just there's a left side of an entrance. So, I'm using that as the common to get up the stairwell to the second floor. Second and third floor would be our apartment and then my mother be on the first floor. So, she'll have a front and back door. I'll have the side door and then there's enough egress for the windows. So, if there's any issue, I do have a back porch on the second floor.
006At some point, I would put another um staircase or something like that. Okay. >> I drove by as well. Looks like well care for a home. >> Yeah. Um, is there enough room for So, it looks like you're going to have to push the snow. Um, so beyond those four parking spots, there's enough room for to pile the snow. >> Yeah, what I would do is actually just push it into the driveway and push it into the backyard. >> Yep. And there's space there. >> Yeah, that's tight. Plus, your wheels going to have to swing to the left as you uh try to get over to the single drive. >> Correct. >> So, even more more of a concern with the >> I'll make sure I park on that side, not my loader. I saw
007you had three cars in the driveway today. Plenty of room. >> Yeah. >> So, I did a little research on vision appraisal. This street, Wetmore Avenue, is all supposed to be single families. It's very hard to find a single family. I think your neighbors are single family. >> Yep. >> To the left. And the next one's a single family. >> But most all the other ones are multifamilies. >> Yeah. 80 80% of the side of the street I'm on from stop sign to stop sign is all multifamilies. Um to your point, there's one to the left of me that's a single family. And with the letters that I had to send out to my neighbors in the back on the back street, there was one or two that are single family, but 80% of the
008letters I sent out were to multifamilies. >> Anybody else? >> I drive by there several times a day. That looks very well, very well. Appreciative. >> Okay, I'll make a motion to close public hearing PCC 25-6. >> Second. All in favor. Okay. >> Thank you. I have three here. I can read it. >> All right. So, next order of business is old business PZ25-6 again. And uh motion to >> Might as well just stay for a moment. We're still going to talk about it. >> Wait, you're up again. >> Oh, sorry. >> No, you can sit down. Motion to approve application 25-6 special permit owner >> Henry Noik. >> Yes. >> Okay. Address 39 Wmore Avenue proposal special permit to con convert existing single family home to a two family. In evaluating this application, the
009plane zoning commission is relied upon information provided by the applicant and in such information subsequently proves to be false or deceptive, incomplete or inaccurate. The skirmish shall be modified, suspended, or revoked. This applicant is consistent with the town plan of conservation development. This application meets the criteria for and standard of section 415-24D special permits and special exceptions. >> I'll second it. >> All in favor? Good luck. >> Appreciate that. So now item six, new business. We have an application PZ25-15 Scott Davis 142 Main Street special permit to cons says to construct two residential units on the first floor of a formal commercial space and two residential units on the second floor for a total of four residential units. Uh we're basically just going to accept this tonight and then you'll have a public hearing scheduled.
010>> Um can I talked to Shane? She told you told me that to tell you that she's okay for August 25. >> Was it What was that again, >> Shane? >> For August 25th. >> Yeah. >> For our next meeting. Yeah. >> I'll make a motion to accept the application for PCC 25-15 at Scott Davis, 142 Main Street, uh, with a public hearing schedule for August 25th at 7 p.m. >> I'll second. Well, is so in the in the memo from Jeremy, he's recommending September 8th that you guys okay with the change? >> Well, that's what we were just whispering about. The reason I the reason I recommended September 8th is that the signage that needs to go up in front of the property is supposed to be up for no less than 15 days.
011>> Yes. >> So the 20 What's your next meeting days from now? He's not going to get the sign until tomorrow at the ear. >> So that's Do I have a concern about this particular application? Probably not. But were appealed to a court, it would get thrown back to the commission because it didn't meet the regulation. So, that's where we run into trouble. That's something we can talk about fixing in the regulation going forward. >> I'm just telling you, yeah, she's gives me August 25th because I come up from Florida. So, I stayed for both tonight and >> 25th. >> So, I'm sure she was only thinking of the legal notice in the paper, not the sign. >> No, no, she told me. She says it's 15 days, but she just said to tell you
012that she's okay with the 25th >> because yeah, she's going to go down with the sign tomorrow. >> I think we need to stick to the 15 days so it doesn't get appealed and we're in trouble. That's just always >> still 15 days. >> I thought we changed that. >> No, >> I don't think you can change that, can you? >> Oh, it's it's local regulations. It's not statal. I it's it's your pleasure. You can schedule a hearing when you want, you know, and again, it's you know, you're weighing risks here. Um, and we're weighing the risk for the applicant as well. We think there's going to be an appeal out there. >> So, what what's the problem? You can't do September 8th. >> I mean, I mean, if it's if I have to wait
013that long, I mean, I got to go to Florida and come back again. I just wanted to stay in the two weeks and do both meetings. >> I think we need to adhere to our regulations at this point because it's setting a precedent if we don't. >> Mr. Chairman, if we if we can we offer the gentleman a remote meeting on September uh 8th and let him zoom, you know, kind of come in remotely like we did with um uh the folks from Ecode when we were codifying. >> Can we do Zoom on that? >> Are you comfortable with that? >> That's fine. That way you don't have to fly. >> I mean, I do have somebody manage the property. I mean, can they come in? >> Yeah. >> I mean, I want to answer
014if there's going to be any questions about it. >> We We can bring you in remotely. We'll send you a link and you can log in on your computer and then if you've got somebody, you can do that, too. >> I'll make my motion to from August 25th to September 8th. >> Second again. >> Yeah. And I think even for you because if it gets appealed, that's going to cost a lot of money for you and It won't it won't get upheld. We have to do this whole thing all over again. So, >> it just really protects everybody. >> All right. >> So, September 8th call. >> I know we shouldn't be making comments on the application. The only concern I had was a dumpster enclosure that we have no details on that at all.
015So, we should have details of the dumpster enclosure. >> So, we need an enclosure around the dumpster shown on your on your pro on your print. >> On your print shows the dumpster. We need we need to see there's a fence. >> Yeah. Well, it's not doesn't that's not going to meet our regulations. That's only like a 4ft tall fence. It needs to be what? Six feet from a dumpster. >> So, the dumpster should be screened on three sides. So, screening would mean you can't see it at all. So, the fence is four feet and the dumpster is six feet. Yeah. Need to >> So, maybe then you guys can do a review and let them know what's right. Okay. >> Yeah. Somebody can review the site. He's got to go to six feet with
016it >> just so so you can't see the dumpster when you're >> The thing is the dumpster is facing the road. >> Well, technically the wreck calls for screening on three sides which I always thought was lacking. Uh it should be all four sides with the gate on the access side. >> Maybe that we add that to the list as well. This is very long. >> Start to doodle. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Yeah, that would take a look at them >> up the fence. >> Yeah, we'll do we'll do a more thorough review. We, you know, we got late last week. >> Yeah, that was just so we have all the information for that meeting. You know, we got another month basically to get that information to >> together. But that's the only thing
017I saw with the print. >> But do I have to do anything besides putting it to six feet for you guys? >> Depending on how high the dumpster is there, >> they'll they'll give you the regulations. >> Jeff can look at it. >> Do I have to do anything for more information for you or just do you know >> get it to Jeff? Jeff Jeff will get it to us. >> You don't have to do anything before the meeting. It's just as part of the approval >> just as part of the application. >> So if there's anything in addition, we'll let you know. >> That's what I'm saying. But how do I get that information to you that I did it? >> You don't have to do it before the meeting. You just have to
018show us what you're going to do. >> Oh, no. It's going to be done this week. >> Oh, then then if it gets done this week, take a photograph of it and send it into >> Okay. But just make sure you work with Jeff to do whatever you're going to do meets the regulation so that we can approve it. >> Okay. >> All right. >> Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. >> So, when is the date for the public hearing? September >> 8th. >> September 8th. >> Yeah. And there's a motion on the floor we got to vote on. >> All in favor? Okay. Now, other business PC25-14, Town of Winchester, propose a text amendment to section 415-25 to include language that allows the commission to request technical reviews and consultations and to charge
019the applicant the fee of said review. Public hearings previously scheduled for 8:25 2025. Anything we need to do on that? >> Nope. I just keep it on the agenda so that we remember that it's >> now approval of wow approval of July 28th >> under other business. You want to read that letter into the minutes the res >> that's fine. >> Uh number eight, approval of minutes. >> Make a motion approve July 28th regular meeting minutes. Second. >> All in favor? >> Who second? >> Will second everything. >> He's quick. He's quick tonight. >> Okay. >> Now, under communications, we received a letter from Ma Matt Matthew Smith with his letter of resignation, and he like read in front of the board. After joining the plane zoning commission over a year ago, which we all
020know was probably a month ago, several changes in my life had arisen and I believe create a conflict of interest with my continued service. Following my first meeting on July 28th, I reflected deeply on my role. I was very impressed by the professionalism of the commission members. Under your leadership, the meetings are run accordance to Robert's rules of order. Peter Marartian brings over a decade of experience and resto extensive zoning and municipal experience is invaluable. All members appear highly competent and dedicated to serving the town and is refreshing to witness as well as run witness a such wellrun and professional body. My conflicts stem in two areas. First, my positions of Republican town committee and small town governance. I believe part partisan politics should not influence decisions that are in the best interest of the
021community. While I'm in conflict with my ability to serve impartially, I would prefer to avoid any perception that polit political views would could affect the important decisions made by this commission. Second, my professional background as a real estate expert. I am certified state certified appraisal MAI and SR and assessment and re re-evaluation specialist and a state certified broker and ex expert witness recognized by the courts. As a broker, Ia occasionally work on residential and commercial projects in town. I believe I can better serve Winchester by providing my expertise to the commissions when appropriate in my professional compa capacity rather than as a voting member. For those of you who may not know my background, my family has been part of Winchester since 1955. I've been a li lifelong resident of Hinal Lake. My wife Joanne
022are now retired and looking forward to spend the remaining years here, continue to contribute to the community in meaningful ways. Given my professional background and current role as Republican Town Committee Chair, I believe I can serve on a board or commission that does not directly set zoning policy. Therefore, this letter serves my formal res resignation from the planning and zoning commission. I respect respectfully request that you read this letter to the members on the commission included in the minutes of the August 11th meeting by Matt Smith. Matthew Smith. >> Okay. Next, under communications. >> Yeah, we thought we'd just take a couple of minutes and run you all through how open gov works. Some of you may already be familiar with it. So I apologize if maybe you all are and so we don't want
023to, you know, I apologize for that, but I think it's also beneficial for any public that's in the room and maybe watching just to to see a quick demonstration. Uh we talked about this because there had been a request for a zoning enforcement officers report um which is essentially a printout that we gave you from open gov last month or two weeks ago, whenever that was. Um, and we wanted you to just be aware that you can go in, search any property in town, search any permit in town, and just give you a brief u preview on how that works. You've also probably noticed that my staff reports and the agendas all have blue hyperlinks in them. So, if you're looking at them on your computer screen, you click on them and it's going to
024bring you right into open gov. But I we'll just show you briefly how to get to those those permits and those properties um without those hyperlinks if you're just starting hold. So, direct your attention to the screens. Choose one. They're all They're all working tonight for a change. Thank you, Jeff. >> Buzzah. >> Um, if you go to the landing page, the front page of the town of Winchester, um, you'll notice this little button that says apply for permit. I recognize you're not applying for a permit, but that's how you access the online software. So, if you click on that apply apply for a permit button, it will open up Open Gov. Um, if you are applying for a permit, you need to log in and create a username and create an account. If you
025are simply searching, you do not need to do that. In the upper right hand corner, you'll see these three buttons, login, sign up, and the one, the first one is search. If you click on search, it's going to bring you to this search landing page and you're going to toggle back and forth between locations or records. If you know a permit number, you're going to click on records and enter that permit number. So, for example, example, I'll just use one of the ones that we've got here tonight. So, PCC-25-6. That was the public hearing that we closed and acted on just a few minutes ago. So, if you punch that in, you'll see the record pop up. You can click on it. And once you're in there, all of your information is is here. Um,
026you're going to get the details. It's going to tell you what type of application it is, the project name. Um, it'll give you a synopsis of the proposal, current use of the property, all the details that the applicant puts in are there. Um, and you can see that the applicant has to sign and so on and so forth. And then again, there's a couple of tabs here. So, there just there's the details tabs and there's the files tabs. Click over to files and you'll find all of the information that they've uploaded. Um, you know, we've got maps and plans. That's where you're going to find the survey. uh landscape plan. There's a number of them are required and sometimes depending on the application, it doesn't necessarily match up what's what's going to show up here.
027It's not necessarily going to be a landscape plan. It might be a duplicate of the survey because we require four different things. So, the user is required to just put all four things in. So, sometimes there's some duplicate information on here, but everything that's been uploaded will be on this screen. Um, so that's the the record side of it. If you are, and I think this is probably more useful if you're thinking about a complaint or a property that you think might have a violation, if you've got the property address, um, what you'll want to do is just enter the address of the property. So, this is what, 318 Main Street that we're sitting at here. Is that right? >> Uh, 338. >> 338. I had two of the numbers, right? Uh, so if we
028punch in 338 Main Street, you'll see, um, of course, it's going to come up with Winchester and Winstead, but we'll click on the Winstead one. Let's let's let's pick an applicant. Um that's pretty funny, huh? Let's try 142 Main Street because again we have an application for this one. This is going to pull up a synopsis of everything that's at that property. So you're going to see records. Uh you'll see the the 2515 the application that you'll be hearing in a month and you'll see a couple of building permits that have been issued as well. So, anything that's gone on in on that property since the town invested in open what about two years ago? >> November 22. >> November of 22. So, coming up on three years, anything in that three-year timeline is going
029to be listed out here. Um, and then you if you click over to details, you'll get the details about the property and that's kind of pulled from the assessor's uh database. So, those are the those are the things we wanted to show you. We just kind of wanted to give you a quick primer on that. Any questions? I'll just add in addition to uh permits, you will also see if there are any uh code enforcement actions against the property as well. Uh and again, whether they're active or complete and you can click in there and see pictures and and other stuff like that. >> Yeah. So, all your all of your permits and all your code enforcement. Do you want to can you think of an address that's got something that we can pull up
030as a demonstration? Maybe not. >> Yeah, let's not do that. Let's do that. >> Use that sheet that we gave you a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, >> I would care myself, but Great. >> All right. >> Very good. Good. >> Anything else? >> Thank you. >> That's it. >> I'll make a motion to adjourn. >> Go ahead. Thought you were done. >> We were going to get hard copies of the >> uh e-code. >> Uh you read those? >> Yeah. Talk about that. I'm not sure if they're printed yet or not, but thank you for the reminder. >> Were the maps not in your packet tonight? >> The maps? Yeah, updated maps, zoning maps. >> No, there's nothing in our packet in your packet. Okay. They were supposed to be there. We'll get those
031to you for the next meeting. >> Yeah, because if we get a hard copy of the updated zoning rags since they're going to be codified and and the maps go with them. >> So, the the zoning rigs we were holding off to make sure that we got the latest round of updates that you just did in there. We don't want to print out the whole book, give it to you, and then give it to you again with all those changes that we made. So, I think the plan was to wait until till those get codified and in there. The maps are done. Uh I have them formatted for 11 by 17s. They should have been in there tonight. That's that's an oversight. We'll get them to you in two weeks. They are online. Um the
032newest zoning map is online and the GIS system has also been updated so that that zoning map is accurate as well. >> They did all the time. That's good. Excellent. >> Anybody else? >> You're good. >> I'll second your motion. >> All right. >> All in favor? >> Wow. >> 47:30. >> Look at that. >> Excellent. Excellent. >> Well, you're also looking at the yard. So let's let's not >> zone it center.