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Avon PZC approves ridgeline special permit for Deercliff Road house, 6–1, amid calls to tighten RPOZ rules
Summary
The commission approved Application #5084 for a house at 565/585 Deercliff Road with conditions addressing health, engineering, fire safety and landscaping after debate over whether the Ridgeline Protection Overlay Zone provides adequate protection for habitat and scenic resources.
The Avon Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6–1 on June 16 to grant a Special Permit under the Ridgeline Protection Overlay Zone (RPOZ) for a residential compound at 565 and 585 Deercliff Road, subject to multiple conditions addressing public health, engineering and landscaping.
Commissioner Jamie DiPace moved to approve Application #5084 with conditions that include compliance with Farmington Valley Health District rules for well abandonment and hazardous-material removal during demolition; submission of final drainage calculations and engineering details; potential erosion and sedimentation bond as determined by the Town Engineer; an encroachment agreement for paver driveway entrance per engineering standards; and a Fire Marshal recommendation that the applicant install sprinklers or consider a cistern. Planning conditions require that proposed landscaping be followed, preserve viable trees over six inches dbh where feasible, reduce lawn area (with recommended Pennsylvania or Appalachian sedge in selected areas), and ensure structures are located as shown on the approved plans.
Chair Lisa Levin opened the RPOZ discussion by noting the commission’s historical expectation that applicants respect the spirit of the ridgeline rules, and asked that the RPOZ regulations be redrafted and strengthened in the future. "I am formally requesting that the Ridgeline Protection Overlay Zone regulation be redrafted, updated, and strengthened — including serious consideration of a bright-line standard governing the percentage of any structure that may be permitted within the setback area," she said.
Several commissioners and staff debated whether the proposal complies with the RPOZ’s habitat and visual-impact standards. Commissioner Christine Graesser said a large portion of the proposed development sits in the outer setback band and that proposed lawns and hardscape may harm traprock-ridge habitat. Town planning staff referenced a State geologist's input that basalt fracture patterns do not change between the 75-foot and 150-foot lines, and noted that the existing house will be removed and an adjacent parcel added and left undeveloped.
The motion was seconded by Commissioner Chris White and passed with votes in favor from DiPace, White, Stevenson, Graesser, Gentile and Levin; Vice Chair Robin Baran voted against the motion. The commission’s approval is conditioned on adherence to the enumerated health, engineering, fire marshal and planning requirements; significant changes to the submitted construction plans must be reported to Town staff for review.
What happens next: The applicant must satisfy the listed conditions and obtain applicable permits (drainage, encroachment, building permits) before construction. The approval includes explicit instructions to minimize lawn area, preserve viable trees where feasible and to locate structures as shown on the submitted plans.
