Willington planning commission to refer "middle housing" zoning draft for state review, schedules June hearing

The Willington Planning and Zoning Commission voted to refer a draft of zoning amendments aimed at implementing the state llowance for "middle housing" to the state review office and to schedule a public hearing in June, the chair said at the commission's May 5 meeting.

The draft is intended to satisfy SSA 25-1, the state statute that requires municipalities to allow 2‑to‑9‑unit residential development in commercial or mixed‑use zones through a nondiscretionary summary‑review process rather than a special permit or variance. The chair told commissioners the draft is a condensed, form‑based template designed to produce checklist‑style standards so staff and applicants can determine compliance with yes/no criteria.

The chair said summary review limits discretionary design controls, so the draft translates preferences into measurable requirements. Proposed elements discussed include a maximum building width of about 75 feet to preserve neighborhood context; parking or garages located in rear yards; a minimum of two stories and a maximum of three; and an open‑space example of 500 square feet per residential unit (presented as a starting point, adjustable by the commission). The draft also includes prescriptive lighting specifications (fully shielded fixtures with defined cutoff angles) and example graphics to illustrate building types and facade treatments, which the chair described as illustrative rather than regulatory.

"If you don't adopt any standards, then as of July 1, they walk in and they say, 'Okay, commission. I'm here for my completely non‑discretionary review,'" the chair said, characterizing the statutory timeline and the risk of receiving applications without local standards in place. The chair also warned that the legislature could extend or change the statute and recommended referring the draft to the state review office by the end of the week so the commission would have a path to adopt standards if no extension is enacted.

Commissioners discussed numeric choices and tradeoffs: a suggested building separation minimum of 15 feet (several commissioners said they would prefer increasing that to 25 feet), a cap on unit square footage to influence affordability, and locating parking behind buildings to create a stronger street presence. Commissioners also noted that the draft could be refined during a public hearing and that the commission could adopt the template quickly and then schedule follow‑up hearings for additional tweaks.

Action and next steps: the commission agreed that the chair will refer the draft to the state review office (the meeting record uses the spellings "Croc" and "Crag" when referring to that review body) and will seek review comments; a public hearing will be scheduled for June, with the commission prepared to postpone or continue the hearing if the legislature issues an extension. The chair said she will make the referral by the end of the week and return with any review comments and a hearing date.

Commissioners present at the meeting included Jeremy Brothers, Steven Troyer, Rebecca Sinowski and Robert Shabet. The commission opened the public hearing record and reserved further substantive changes for the scheduled June hearing, when additional commissions (the Economic Development Commission and the board of selectmen) may also attend to discuss overlapping items.

The draft and referral set a timeline for final action: if no statutory extension is issued, the commission could adopt a standard at a June hearing and set an effective date for July 1; if the legislature extends the statute, the hearing could be postponed or continued without prejudicing the town's options.

The commission did not take a formal roll‑call vote on the referral at the May 5 meeting; the record shows consensus and the chair's commitment to make the referral.