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Commission raises doubts about Bradshaw PUD text amendment; no action taken
Summary
Fairfield — The Planning and Zoning Commission discussed a proposed PUD-style text amendment for the Bradshaw property and raised major concerns about water rights, septic systems, open-space requirements and the town’s current readiness to regulate condominiumized units.
Fairfield — Commissioners spent extended time on a proposed text amendment that would allow PUD-style condominium or unitized ownership on the Bradshaw property. The discussion focused on whether the town’s ordinances and infrastructure could safely and fairly support selling or condominiumizing existing commercial/residential units on a parcel that had been developed under older standards.
Commissioners and staff raised multiple concerns: water availability and the connection between water shares and individual units, septic-system capacity and the fact that some septic infrastructure at the Bradshaw site is reportedly covered or altered, and the lack of a PUD or condominium ordinance in Fairfield’s code. “Your water issue is a huge deal. That's a major, major issue. And your septic tank is a major issue,” one commissioner said. Several commissioners noted the site is largely paved and that current rules commonly require one acre and individual septic for many types of development, making retroactive legalization difficult.
Open-space and design standards also came up. Commissioners compared other towns’ PUD rules and said most require an open-space minimum (one commissioner cited a 25 percent open-space requirement in example jurisdictions) and design standards that Fairfield does not yet have codified. Staff and a consultant noted a condominium/PUD model allows ownership of underlying ground in some jurisdictions and the creation of an HOA responsible for shared systems (septic, water, landscaping and road maintenance), but commissioners said the town’s current municipal code is not robust enough to regulate that arrangement without a comprehensive rewrite.
Outcome: No vote was taken. Commissioners said they were not yet inclined to recommend a text amendment for the Bradshaw property as presented and encouraged the applicant and staff to work together on options and on strengthening the town's ordinances and general plan first. Several commissioners suggested denying the current text amendment in its present form and pursuing a longer-term strategy tied to the general-plan update and a future industrial/commercial zoning framework.
