Wolcott Planning & Zoning tables text amendment to allow 15-foot mailbox and bus-shelter structures

Wolcott — The Wolcott Planning & Zoning Commission on Wednesday tabled consideration of a proposed zoning text amendment that would allow common mailbox/package delivery structures and school bus shelters up to 150 square feet and 15 feet high to be sited closer to the street on qualifying multi-residential lots.

Attorney Peter Olson, representing the applicant RLP Associates, presented the amendment during a public hearing, saying the change would “allow the Commission to make better land use decisions” and help create “better developments” when multifamily projects are proposed. Olson also submitted an updated draft and noted prior guidance from Town Attorney Tansley had been added to the record.

Commissioner Daniel LaMontagne, a licensed architect, said he was sympathetic to applicants but raised specific concerns about scale and siting. LaMontagne noted single-family houses in town are typically set back about 40 feet, while the proposal would permit an accessory structure 15 feet tall to sit as close as 20 feet (the draft had also listed 10 feet in earlier versions). “The accessory structure may become the focal point,” LaMontagne said, adding that such placement could “crowd the street.”

Applicant Lou Mazzeo told the Commission the existing mailbox structure on the site peaks around 13–15 feet and that nearby residential buildings are similar in height. Ron Gambino noted the Arrowhead mailbox cluster sits roughly 10 feet from the property line but about 100 feet from the street because it is on an interior lot, a detail the Commission weighed when discussing sight lines and public safety. Mazzeo said he pursued the amendment for neighborhood convenience rather than to benefit himself.

Olson confirmed the applicants had sought a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals and been denied, and said a text amendment is an alternative route for relief. Commissioners asked whether the draft should include more specific design or safety standards — for example, traffic/sight-line analysis or clearer limits on enclosure and materials — before any townwide rule is adopted.

With no public comments offered at the hearing, Commissioner LaMontagne moved to table the item until the next meeting so members could review the proposal and its implications more thoroughly. The motion, seconded by Alternate Olivia Buczak (seated as a regular member), carried unanimously. The Commission took no further action on the amendment at the June 17 meeting.

Before adjourning, CZEO David Kalinowski reported that work at the Tractor Supply site is progressing; staff received one dust complaint, and the site has been watering down and offered to power-wash affected residences. The meeting adjourned at 7:14 p.m.