Madison Winter Club Restaurant Proposal Clears Key Hurdle

MADISON, CT — The Planning and Zoning Commission approved a regulation change that could pave the way for a restaurant at the former Madison Winter Club property.

Restaurateur Frasher Lulaj and his attorney, Jeff Beatty, have appeared before the Planning and Zoning Commission several times over the past half year in an attempt to make Lulaj’s dream of a restaurant at the former club property a reality.

Initially, they applied for a special permit application in May, but it was denied because it applied to just the winter club.

Then, Lulaj and Beatty proposed a planned development district, which could apply to multiple properties throughout town. Members of the public spoke in favor of the restaurant in January, but had some concerns that the amendment could lead to broad changes across town.

Only the winter house property and the Bayberry Hill Farm would qualify for the development district, Beatty said in a letter to the commission.

“The proposed text amendment would also allow properties within the designated area to be combined into parcels that satisfy the eligibility requirements,” Beatty said. “While this option is possible, most of the properties within the proposed area are already developed with single family homes or are impacted by wetlands…”

Additionally, the commission doesn’t have to automatically approve any development district in the area, and applicants must still become before the board with a master plan.