KENT, Conn.—The Planning and Zoning Commission quickly approved a limited special permit for a series of events that will occur partially on land at 8 Landmark Lane (John Casey), and 50 West Main St. (Webster Bank) during its May 14 meeting .
The properties will be affected by Kent Farmers Market, which is moving to town land adjacent to the two locations.
Chamber of Commerce member Gary Kidd explained the situation to the commission, reporting that the market is being moved into the village to revitalize it. He noted that it has been located for years on the Kent Land Trust property south of the village.
“The Farmers Market has struggled for vendors over the last few years,” he said. “In the beginning of the year, it is strong but by the end of the year the vendors slowly disappear.”He said some vendors are drawn away by surrounding towns that hold their markets in their centers where there is more concentrated traffic.
The Chamber wants to have the weekly market on Friday afternoons from 3 to 6 p.m. behind the Kent Welcome Center, 3 Railroad St., starting May 22. The selectmen and fire marshal have approved use of the site, and the events are being co-sponsored by Parks and Recreation.
“We want to keep the market going,” Kidd said. “If it were not for sponsorships by local businesses, the Chamber would have lost money [on the market] over the last few years.”
He said that when Chamber members looked at the site in the village center they soon realized that it is smaller than anticipated. Agreements have been reached with Webster Bank and John Casey to expand slightly on to their lands.
All commission members agreed that the market is a benefit to the community, but they universally expressed concern about adding to the traffic congestion and lack of parking in the center during the busy summer and fall seasons.
Kidd said that vendors have been encouraged to come early on Friday afternoons to set up. They will drop their goods at their assigned locations and then take their vehicles over to the Town Hall parking lot. Most town offices are closed on Friday afternoons.
He added that there will be signage directing customers to different designated parking locations and speculated that some customers would already be parked in town and might simply walk to the market to continue shopping.
The market will have a new manager, Spencer Lord, who expects to have about 42 vendors, but Kidd said the full number will not be present at the same time.
“This is definitely a work in progress,” he told the commission, “and there may be some teething issues we have to solve.” He said the Chamber will use the first few weeks to determine if the site will work. If not, it would try to find another solution, such as returning to the land trust’s field.
All PZC members expressed concerns about the parking problem, but all saw the benefits to other businesses in Kent Green and to the summer-long library book sale, which has moved to the green while construction goes on at the Main Street library. “It will be good to direct some energy back into that area,” observed PZC alternate Dan Greenbaum.
Land Use Official Tai Kern said historically the market attracts about 50 visitors an hour, a number that will probably increase with the more prominent location. “There is really no sidewalk at the land trust field,” observed Kidd. “This site has sidewalks and people can walk there from the condos.
PZC Chairman Karen Casey registered strong concern about people parking along Route 44 north of the site. “I feel the market is a real bonus for the town,” she said, but added that she “didn’t want to see someone get hurt” in traffic. She made it a condition of approval that there be traffic control around the site and that chamber seek “professional help” for that control.
The commission finally approved the application on an interim basis until its June 11 meeting to see if it is a feasible location. Kidd said the Chamber is eager to work with the commission and to take suggestions. He agreed to contact the fire department and state trooper for traffic control and to put out cones at dangerous intersections so that parked cars cannot obstruct sight lines.
In other business, the commission considered a complaint by a neighbor that High Watch Recovery Center is violating a condition of its 2018 approval to build an assembly hall on its property. Casey said she had listened to the recording of the discussion when Condition 14 was imposed for the lecture hall.
Member Alice Hicks recalled that the commission then approved the expansion of High Watch’s business of caring for addicted persons. She said that the physical structure was part of a change in the therapeutic modalities used for treating clients.
But Donna Hayes, who was part of the land use staff at the time, said AA meetings were the main purpose for the 218-seat lecture hall. It was not, she said, a training facility for people other than the High Watch staff. She believes High Watch is now using the facility for commercial operations.
But Casey said she did not hear anything in the recording regarding restrictions related to Condition #14. The condition stated only that it should be used in conjunction with the treatment of clients and AA meetings. She believes that training is a part of treating patients, although she said the condition should have been more clearly written.
Kern said that two of the commissioners at the time of the approval felt that training was part of the overall approved use.
Per a recent decision by the PZC modifying the original conditions of approval, no more than 50 non-staff members can attend the training sessions, which are not open to the public.
No action was taken.
