Town Council Dissolves Zoning Commission

Despite passionate opposition from people directly involved with the groups in question, the Town Council voted Thursday to adopt an ordinance that combines the separate Planning and Zoning Commissions into one commission.

“A majority of people who spoke against it – most, not all of those people – were directly connected to the status quo,” said Council Chairman Sean Sullivan.

Town Councils have been tossing the idea around for decades with hopes that a combined commission will help development by streamlining the process. However, the ordinance met o when commissioners and residents said a combined commission would increase the workload for the staff and that there’s no proof that development would move along faster.

Sullivan said if the new commission is ineffective, they can go back to using separate commissions but the combined commission is one thing that may help commercial development in Ledyard.

The ordinance was adopted 8-0, and although councilor John Marshall said at the public hearing that he did not support the ordinance, he was absent from Thursday’s meeting.

The two 5-person commissions (both have three alternate members each) will be combined into one 5-person commission with three alternate voting members. Members on the Planning Commission will take on the responsibility of working through zoning applications, regulations and policy in addition to their Planning Commission responsibilities.

There is no requirement nor has there been a formal commitment from members currently serving on the existing commissions to volunteer for the consolidated commission. Planning Commission Chairman Mike Cherry said there is one opening that he knows of. Zoning Commission Chairman Eric Treaster, who has served on that commission for 27 years, said he wouldn’t volunteer for the combined commission.

Zoning Commissioner Paula Jackson said she’s neither opposed, nor in favor, of serving on the combined commission and that it would take some convincing.

“I like regs (regulations), rules and guidelines,” she said. “But I’m not sure how to wear both hats.”

Jackson also expressed concern that the combined commission will rely too heavily on an overburdened staff.

"My hands won't be on regs enough," she said. “I’m not going to rubber stamp decisions. I won’t."

Councilor Linda Davis noted that the current zoning commission hardly utilizes the town staff, which reinforced her belief that the commissions should be combined.

She said that volunteers shouldn’t be doing the work that the staff is supposed to do.

Councilors Saums and Wadecki had strong concerns about the timeframe and the loss of zoning volunteer expertise.

“I’m deeply concerned about the loss of expertise if we don’t have members from the zoning commission (volunteer)," he said. "We’ll loose some deep, deep expertise.”

The decision should not affect applications under review by the current Zoning or Planning Commissions. The combined Planning and Zoning Commission will be operating in about four months.