ZBA approves Black Heron Arts' special exception to hold occasional workshops at 6 Bristol Town Road in Southbury

The Southbury Zoning Board of Appeals on June 3 approved a special exception allowing Black Heron Arts, Inc. to hold infrequent educational workshops at 6 Bristol Town Road in the R60 residential zone, contingent on filing required building and zoning permits and securing approval from the Husatonic Valley Health District for proposed bathroom/septic work.

The decision matters because it permits a nonprofit arts program to operate on a residential property with conditions designed to limit impacts on neighbors. Staff told the board the planning commission had reviewed the application and returned a favorable referral but asked the ZBA to ensure coordination with the fire marshal, building inspector and the health district. The board’s resolution places explicit limits on event size and frequency and makes noise determined to be a public nuisance subject to enforcement.

Applicants Tor Hayams and Lisa St. Lou described the workshops as educational and small-scale. Hayams said the group mailed seven return-receipt notices and received six signed returns; he told the board most workshops will be quiet (writing, visual arts) and that music would be limited — “one maybe two music workshops in the entire year,” with typical sessions lasting about three hours. Applicant Lisa described the barn layout, saying workshops will use roughly 600 square feet on the barn’s upper level and that the property’s acreage and orientation should limit sound travel.

Staff reported conversations with Derek (the fire marshal) and Mark Cody, the building inspector. According to staff, these officials reviewed the site and told the applicants no additional permits were required for the limited private gatherings; however the Husatonic Valley Health District must review and sign off on septic/bathroom installations before a zoning permit is issued. The board’s resolution cites Schedule A, line B-3.1 as the applicable zoning use and requires the applicant to file all necessary zoning, building and fire applications and to record the special-exception form with the town clerk prior to starting operations.

The resolution caps attendance and parking: gatherings are limited to no more than 10 artists, held roughly four to six times per year, confined to about 600 square feet of the barn, and limited to off-street parking with a maximum of 10 cars (overflow parking on grass was described as a reserve option). The resolution also prohibits outdoor amplification and states that any music or noise determined by the Southbury Police Department to be outside standard residential use would be a violation subject to enforcement.

Applicants said larger performances would take place offsite at the Pressbox Theater; they cited a planned theater presentation/interview with a guest identified as Adam Pascal as an example of events held elsewhere. The board opened the public comment period and recorded no on-the-record objections from neighbors.

The board recorded a unanimous vote to approve the special exception; staff will notify the applicants of next steps and the application remains contingent on the conditions listed in the resolution, including health-district signoff and filing of required permits. The meeting approved the May 6 minutes, conducted routine business and then adjourned.