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Bolton PZC continues hearing on proposed rear‑lot zoning rules after residents press property‑rights and safety concerns
Summary
Bolton's Planning & Zoning Commission heard extended public comment on draft amendments to rear‑lot (irregular lot) rules July 12; residents said several provisions would curtail owners' options while commissioners cited Fire Marshal safety concerns. The hearing was continued to Aug. 9.
Bolton's Planning & Zoning Commission on July 12 held a public hearing on proposed amendments to Section 2 (Definitions) and Section 11F (Rear/Irregular Lots) of the town zoning regulations and voted to continue the hearing to Aug. 9, 2017.
Staff member Patrice Carson said the draft changes respond to two recent subdivision applications that revealed ambiguous language; the commission aims "to achieve greater clarity and provide greater direction for a more predictable process," she said. Commissioners noted the draft drew on review of multiple municipalities and multiple revisions.
Several residents told the commission the amendments as drafted were too restrictive. First Selectman Robert Morra said the draft's requirement that no rear lots be created unless part of a five‑part subdivision would have made both a prior and his current subdivision impossible and called the approach an "overreach into property owners' rights." He questioned the rationale for a 1,000‑foot spacing requirement and other numeric limits and said he would submit written recommendations.
Resident Will Anderson told commissioners he had supported a simpler standard in earlier decades and urged the commission to avoid rules that have the effect of excluding smaller landowners. Anderson said rear lots can preserve rural character, citing a local Enrico Road subdivision as an example, and suggested administrative fixes (signage, mailbox placement, house numbering) rather than broad zoning bans.
Commissioners defended parts of the draft that reflect emergency response concerns. Commissioner Adam Teller pointed to language in the existing irregular‑lot regulation stating rear lots are intended to be "a last resort, used sparingly, and not as a design technique," and said the amendments are intended to provide tangible limits consistent with that intent. Chairman Eric Luntta relayed that the Fire Department asked for shorter driveways "to allow for EMS and water access" and that the Fire Marshal's recommendations informed the driveway‑length provisions.
Other commenters asked for waiver authority to allow flexibility in meritorious cases, while another resident, John Treat, expressed support for the regulation as written. After discussion the commission voted 7–0–0 to continue the public hearing to Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017, at 7:45 p.m. at Town Hall.
The hearing will resume with additional public comment and any written recommendations submitted by residents; the PZC did not take final action on the amendments at the July 12 meeting.
