Danbury zoning commission refers petition to amend CA-80 rules, schedules April 22 public hearing

The Danbury Zoning Commission on March 11 received a petition from Planning Director Waleed Al Bakri to amend the city zoning regulations to permit "high precision tool manufacturing and assembly" in the CA-80 zone and unanimously referred the request to the Planning Commission for recommendation.

The chair read the petition into the record, saying the measure would "amend section 5 b 1 and add sections 5 b 2 a 4 7 47 and 5 b 4 f to the zoning regulations" to allow the stated manufacturing and assembly uses in the CA-80 district. The chair also announced a public hearing on the petition is scheduled for April 22, 2025, and directed that required notices be sent to surrounding communities and published in the town clerk's office in accordance with state statutes.

Commissioners voted by voice to refer the petition "unanimously"; the transcript records the outcome as unanimous but does not record individual vote tallies or clearly identify the mover and seconder for the referral motion. The record indicates the commission intends to follow statutory notice and publication steps before the scheduled public hearing.

Background: the petition was filed as new business on the March 11 agenda and was read into the record by the chair. The chair identified the petitioner as Waleed Al Bakri, Planning Director. The commission did not debate amendments or conditions at the March 11 meeting; the referral sends the proposal to the Planning Commission for a recommendation ahead of the public hearing.

Next steps: the Planning Commission will review the petition and make a recommendation; the zoning commission will consider public testimony and any Planning Commission report at or after the public hearing set for April 22, 2025.