Ashford commission discusses town‑center vision, commercial‑zone uses and short‑term rental, seeks next steps

Ashford Planning and Zoning Commission members used their Feb. 9 meeting to press staff to move forward on several planning priorities, including finalizing the draft Plan of Conservation & Development (POCD), exploring a defined town center or village district, clarifying permitted versus special‑permit uses in the general commercial zone, and continuing work on short‑term rental and renewables regulations.

Commissioner Mark Schubel urged the commission to be proactive in 2026, not solely reactive to development applications. He said the POCD questionnaire showed resident interest in a defined town center and suggested the Warrenville/West Ashford special planning area should be evaluated as a candidate for a village‑district or similar designation with architectural standards for facades and landscaping.

Staff (Mike Damato) noted the draft POCD will be circulated as a 'final draft' for committee review and hearings, then sent to the Board of Selectmen and NICOG. He said an 8‑2j village‑district option exists — but it would require an architectural design review board and design guidelines. Commissioners discussed alternative tools: overlay zones, form‑based standards, or tighter site‑and‑use criteria for specific special permits.

On the general commercial zone, Mark asked why the regulation lists 16 special‑permit uses; Mike explained that permitted uses are by‑right (lower square‑foot thresholds) while special permits allow larger or potentially more impactful uses subject to standards (landscaping, buffers, parking). Commissioners considered whether to replace a long enumerated list with broader categories (service, office, employment) or to attach size‑ and impact‑based triggers and qualifying criteria so certain uses would be ineligible if they failed minimum siting requirements.

Jeff Silvermith flagged short‑term‑rental rules as a priority; he has drafted application procedures and plans to circulate sample texts used elsewhere in Connecticut for commission review. Janet Bellamy recommended updating renewable‑energy language (beyond solar) because previous draft regulations were never formally adopted. Several commissioners raised enforcement gaps for storage containers (ConX units) and asked staff to coordinate with the Board of Selectmen on possible ordinance or enforcement approaches.

Mike added that state law changes tied to HB8002/802 will require towns to allow, by right, developments up to nine residential units on lots zoned mixed‑use or commercial beginning July 1; commissioners discussed whether additional zones or detailed standards could preserve design expectations while meeting the new statutory requirements.

Next steps: commissioners asked staff to circulate the POCD final draft and to prepare recommendations for potential text amendments to the general commercial zone (use lists/categories and qualifying criteria), draft short‑term‑rental language for review, and explore options for addressing storage‑container enforcement.