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Commission approves Main Gate single‑family home but restricts pool‑house use after neighbor objections
Summary
After neighbor objections that a proposed 780‑sq‑ft pool house resembled a separate dwelling, the commission approved Jason Lebec’s single‑family home application in the R20 zone with conditions including a recorded declaration barring use as an accessory dwelling unit and a privacy‑screening requirement.
The Town Plan and Zoning Commission on June 22 approved a special permit and site plan for a new single‑family home on Main Gate in Farmington’s R20 zone, but placed conditions on an oversized accessory structure after neighbors raised concerns that the building resembled a separate dwelling.
Applicant Jason Lebec told commissioners the property is roughly five and a half acres and the proposed main house exceeds 2,400 square feet to accommodate family needs. He said wetlands approval was recently granted and that the project’s clearing limits and erosion controls were established in coordination with town staff. On the accessory structure, Lebec described the 780‑square‑foot "pool house" as a slab‑on‑grade, single‑story structure with a changing room, restroom, a small kitchenette and a great room intended for family use; he said it was not designed as a rental unit.
Neighbors told the commission they were worried the pool house’s size and interior program (kitchenette, bathroom and two enclosed rooms) could effectively create a second dwelling on the lot. Tom Cervolo commented, "the pool house... it's a house. It's got a kitchen. It's got bathrooms," and asked for stronger screening and assurances the structure would not be used as a separate residence. Another neighbor, Frank Jerana, supported the single‑family use but also urged clarity on conservation‑area protections.
Commissioners and staff discussed septic capacity (the home and accessory structure are proposed to share a septic system sized for the property), driveway alignment and the conservation easement recorded on the deed. The applicant said the owners are willing to record an instrument at the time of building permit that the accessory structure will not be used as an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) or rented, and that they will add year‑round privacy screening. Based on those assurances and engineering conditions, the commission approved the special permit and site plan, attaching conditions that include a recorded declaration prohibiting ADU use and a requirement for evergreen screening or an equivalent privacy fence/screen along the neighbor‑facing property edge (details to be finalized with staff). Engineering, tree‑clearing limits, sedimentation and erosion control, and septic/reserve areas were also required as permit conditions.
What happens next: Staff will draft the formal conditions and record the applicant’s declaration on the land records before issuance of the building permit. Construction and any driveway alteration must conform to the cleared limits and engineering details approved by town staff.
