Shelton commission denies zone change for 57‑unit Todd Road project

The Shelton Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 22 voted 6–0 to deny a zone‑change application that would have allowed construction of a four‑story, 57‑unit apartment building at 74 Todd Road.

The applicant, J and L Enterprise LLC, had sought to rezone the 1.77‑acre parcel from Industrial IA‑3 to a Planned Development District to permit the proposed development. Commissioners cited the site’s location in a predominantly industrial corridor bordering an active recycling and transfer facility, outstanding traffic and drainage questions, limited recreation area for the proposed number of units, and the absence of a binding affordability plan.

Commission findings detailed several specific concerns: the parcel’s adjacency to early‑morning heavy truck operations could create ongoing nuisance conflicts and raise questions about long‑term residential viability; no updated traffic study was filed to evaluate vehicular impacts and sight‑line safety on Todd Road and Richwood Avenue; the project’s scale and density appear high given access and topography constraints; and the applicant had not submitted finalized financing or binding commitments for affordable units.

After the commission directed staff to prepare a resolution reflecting those findings, Commissioner Kelly moved to deny the zone change; Commissioner Christiano seconded. A roll-call vote recorded six votes to deny and zero in favor. The motion to deny the zone change passed 6–0, effectively preventing the rezoning requested by the applicant.

The commission did not act on any separate site‑plan or other approvals for the project; the denial was specifically of the requested zone change, which the commission noted would limit the applicant’s ability to pursue the proposed development absent further filings or appeals.