KENT, Conn.—The Planning and Zoning Commission sent the owners of Motoriot back to the drawing board to dot “I’s” and cross “T’s” on their modified site plan last week and tabled any action until its Thursday, Jan. 8, meeting.
Jason Doornick and Charles Narwold presented a plan that showed a changed parking plan that would provide two parking spaces for an upstairs apartment, a widened fire lane and a secondary entrance to the property for emergency vehicles.
It also included a stairway that would provide a second egress from the second-floor apartment as required by fire code. The location of that stairway had been added just that afternoon, so the plan presented differed from the copies PZC members received earlier.
It also indicated that the stairway would be only slightly more than 11 feet from the property’s border, less than the required setback.
Narwold said they had conferred with Fire Marshal Tim Limbos about the stairway and that they are working with an architect and a builder. Details of the project are still being worked out, but the stairs would provide emergency access to a rooftop where there would be a walkway.
Limbos, who attended the Zoom meeting, said the staircase is an alternate solution to comply with the fire code for the apartment. Otherwise, a sprinkler system would have to be installed, which would be a financial hardship for the business.
Limbos is now satisfied with the provision for a fire lane on the property and Narwold said he has obtained an easement to provide secondary emergency access to the rear of the lot from 41 Elizabeth St.
The encroachment on the setback will need a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals, however.
Zoning Enforcement Officer Tai Kern advised the board that they could act on the application for the parking plan, fire lane and emergency access, but not the stairs because ZBA approval of a variance must come first.
She also noted that there are environmental concerns because of contamination in the soil on the lot, which has been used by automotive businesses for decades. “We don’t know what disturbance is needed to install the stairs,” she said.
Donna Hayes, who was previously ZEO and now serves on the PZC, said there can be no disturbance unless it is approved by the state. “They will have to confirm the plan with DEEP because the ground is polluted and the last thing you want to do is disturb it and get [the pollution] into the aquifer.”
Narwold said the contamination is under the foundation for the building and he does not believe the restriction is applicable to where the stairway is proposed. The men are open to other solutions, such as a spiral staircase or folding ladder if they would be acceptable under the fire code but were advised that a spiral staircase might be too narrow.
Before closing the discussion with Narwold and Doornick commission members questioned them about the placement of garbage bins, limiting the rear access to just emergency personnel and the placement of eight parking spaces for employees. They also wanted to know the status of the signage required under the last site plan approval and were told that the men were ordering the custom-designed signs.
The commission delayed action on the site plan, saying they wanted the details listed on it before approval is given. Kern cautioned them to get precise data on the staircase for their application to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
She noted that they will have to demonstrate a hardship on the site to get a variance. Typically, hardships are defined as the physical limitations of a site.
