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Zoning board approves zero-setback variance for Easton Road ramp but orders site-plan revision
Summary
The Monroe Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved a variance to allow a 0-foot front-yard setback at 2564 Easton Road so the owner can build a handicap ramp and deck, conditioning approval on submission of a revised site plan that removes a previously shown drive-through.
The Monroe Zoning Board of Appeals on Dec. 2, 2025, voted unanimously to grant a variance allowing a 0-foot front-yard setback at 2564 Easton Road so the property owner can construct a handicap ramp and deck to serve the building’s first-floor commercial space.
Chair Jim Wendt read the public hearing notice and said the single application sought a variance from “section 4.1 0.4” to waive the standard 50-foot front-yard setback. Applicant Nick Shalen, who identified himself as the property owner, told the board the ramp and deck are needed to finish the renovation and open a tenant space; he said state involvement delayed work for nearly two years and that the property received a state lease about 10 weeks ago.
“The ramp and the deck are not part of the [state] issue; they exempted that,” Shalen said, adding that contractors must still determine whether pylons or fixed footings are acceptable in areas the state controls. Shalen also said there is a verbal agreement with a prospective tenant, but no signed lease.
Board members raised two main concerns: compliance with restrictions in a Connecticut Department of Transportation letter and an older site plan in the file that still showed a drive-through the board had previously denied. Ron Stelmack cited a Sept. 16, 2024 CT DOT letter listing three restrictions on the leased area, including a prohibition on fixed objects within a 16-foot right of way. Shalen said the state’s site plan, which he submitted, shows the ramp and deck as exempt but that the state did not want pylons placed in the restricted area.
Wendt said he had no personal objection to the ramp but asked staff to ensure the site plan on file does not imply approval for a drive-through. “I don’t want to see a map in the file for the permit that reflects a drive-through that gives you the approval for that,” he said.
Ron Stelmack moved to approve the variance with two conditions: (1) the drive-through shown on the plan is not part of the application and is not approved, and (2) the applicant must submit a revised site plan removing any reference to a drive-through. The motion was seconded and, after brief discussion in which members said the conditions addressed traffic concerns and would allow the renovation to be completed, the board voted 4–0 in favor.
Chair Wendt announced the unanimous approval and wished the applicant luck finding a tenant. Shalen thanked the board.
