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Commission forwards omnibus zoning amendments, including smoke‑shop definition and DTOD fixes
Summary
The commission issued a positive referral on an omnibus package of zoning changes that updates definitions (apartment house, retaining wall, site plan), corrects DTOD setbacks, clarifies buffers to apply only inside city limits, and adds a definition/pause on new smoke‑shop permits while location rules are developed.
The Danbury Planning Commission voted to recommend a positive Section 8‑3(a) referral to the Zoning Commission on a comprehensive set of zoning amendments covering definitions, district regulations, and technical corrections tied to the recently adopted Downtown Transit‑Oriented Development (DTOD) district.
Planning Director Waleed Alpake described the package as an "omnibus amendment" organized into four categories: updated or new definitions (for apartment house, retaining wall, site plan and others), adjustments after DTOD adoption, applicability clarifications to ensure some rules apply only inside Danbury city limits, and correction of oversights. He said the changes align with the Plan of Conservation and Development’s guidance to regularly update regulations.
Waleed also highlighted a new definition for "smoke shop" and said staff worked with the police department and corporation counsel on language intended to stop new smoke‑shop permits until the city identifies where such businesses could be located; staff estimated about 15 existing smoke shops in the city that were permitted without a specific definition. Waleed stressed that the package is intended mainly to clarify and correct language—examples included adjusting a DTOD setback from 20 to 10 feet and ensuring certain buffers refer specifically to properties within Danbury.
A motion for a positive referral was made by Commissioner Helen Hofstadter and seconded; with no further discussion the commission voted to forward the omnibus amendments to the Zoning Commission for public hearing.
