were discriminatory because they did not allow for multi-family housing. Mr. Cherry stated
in reading the document that he reached the conclusion that although Ledyard did not have
the same problem as Woodbridge, that they had other problems. He stated with the Plan of
Conservation & Development (POCD) and Zoning Regulation update that Ledyard was
heading in the right direction. He noted page 1 and page 7 of the Woodbridge suit listing the
allegations was worth reading noting they talked about:
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What the State Statutes - Zoning Enabling Act required.
What the Connecticut Constitution required.
What the Fair Housing Law required.
Mr. Cherry suggested as the LUPPW Committee read the 67-page Woodbridge document
that they think about whether Ledyard met these requirements or whether they had and types
of problems. He stated it was his opinion that that Ledyard treated multi-family units and
fill-in housing differently than they treat single family housing. He stated Ledyard has come
along way with the last two Zoning Regulations Update which included: (1) Reducing the
size of the lots; (2) Adding Accessory Dwelling Units; and (3) Made changes to the bulk
requirement. He stated Land Use Director Juliet Hodge had Ledyard heading in the right
direction; however, they still had more work to do.
Mr. Cherry continued by addressing recent land use developments in town, such as the
former Dow Chemical Site; the Liquor Store in the former Veterinarian Building on Route
12, the new Bark N’ Brew, or the Dollar General Store going in next to the McDonalds. He
stated he walked away from the meetings realizing that most people in town have no
understanding of Land Use Regulations, Land Use Statutes, how things were done, who had
the authority, what the Mayor’s role was, what the Town Council’s role was, what was the
role of the myriad of Land Use Commissions and Boards, and who had the final say. He
stated a few years ago Councilor McGrattan and Councilor Rodriguez were involved in the
“Know Your Town Program” which was developed to teach residents about how the town
operated. He stated it was time they teach residents about Land Use, noting he has observed
residents challenging land use decisions such as the General Dollar Store in Gales Ferry. He
stated residents need to understand that anything that meets the Zoning Regulations must be
approved.
Mr. Cherry stated Ledyard just completed a Zoning Regulation Update and he stated no one
from the public other than Mr. Treaster, himself, and residents from the Agricultural
Community provided input when the Zoning Commission was working to update the Zoning
Regulations. He stated residents were not happy with the Zoning Regulation Update because
they think the Regulations would prevent things that they would actually not prevent. Also,
residents missed the key point that if an Application met the Zoning Regulations that it must
be approved regardless of people’s opinions. He stated they could spend a lot of taxpayer
money to slow down an Application in court, however, he stated the bottom line was if the
Application met the Zoning Regulations it would be approved. He stated during the Public
Hearing the Planning & Zoning Commission was looking for facts as to whether the
Application met or did not meet the Zoning Regulations. He stated all of their decisions
were fact driven and were not subject to opinion.
Chairman Dombrowski stated he and Mr. Cherry talked about this subject last week. He
stated as a member and former Chairman of the Zoning Commission, which was before the
Planning Commission & Zoning Commission were merged, that he would agree that Mr.
Cherry’s observations were correct, in that there was a lack of public understanding of how
land use worked. He went on to state per state statute the Town Council had very little direct
impact regarding zoning matters. He stated when residents see development happening near
