ARE LEDYARD’S PRO-BUSINESS & PRO-DEVELOPMENT POLICIES PROPER?

Perhaps I am too sensitive, but it appears our town leadership may have adopted overly aggressive “pro-development” and “pro-business” policies that are harming the character of our rural community. I believe our leaders are knowingly failing to honor the Town’s land use regulations when they interfere with commercial development and businesses.

A test will be this coming Wednesday, January 8, at 6:30 PM in the Town Hall Annex, when our Town Council will conduct a public hearing and vote to allow another new use of the Gales Ferry School, this time for a religious and office “use” of four classrooms that total about 2,500 feet for $1,800 per month, which is $8.64 per square foot per year including electricity, heat, water, septic, parking, snow plowing, and refuse service.  

What is worrisome is that our Council knows (a) the rent for the new use, and the rents for the new uses it previously approved, are less than half the market rates for equivalent privately owned commercial spaces, and more importantly (b) the Town has not obtained zoning permits for the new uses as required by its Zoning Regulations.  

Changes in land use in Gales Ferry, such as an educational use changed to an office use or a religious use, requires a zoning permit granted by the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission.  It is a simple procedure because the Zoning Regulations allows for reasonable multiple uses in a single structure if parking and other conditions are satisfied.  But the Town, as the owner of the school, is required, like everyone else, to first get a zoning permit. 

Another example is Stonegate Village on Flintlock Road, which is being developed under a zoning permit granted in 2002 as an 18-acre 80-site age-restricted mobile manufactured home land lease community.  Last year the Town granted its owner permission to renege on virtually all of the land use regulations controlling its development, without a public hearing and without an opportunity for its residents or the public to be heard or to petition in opposition.  The most significant violation was the Town allowing the comingling up to 40 additional small (and ugly) one-bedroom triplex rentals and two-bedroom duplex rentals into the development.   Assuming a value of $50,000 per extra dwelling, the 50% increase in density increased the value of Stonegate Village for the benefit of its owner by about $2,000,000.  

Apparently it was of little concern that reneging on the regulations will result in a 50% increase in congestion, overcrowding of Stonegate’s community center, more traffic, require on-street and end-to-end parking dangerous to senior residents, will require more police and social services, will reduce property values of the homes that are resident owned, was opposed by the majority of its residents, and will degrade the quality of life of its residents who, when they purchased their homes (some for over $200,000), had the reasonable expectation the Town would honor and enforce its land use regulations.  Although legal, it was wrong and shameful for the Town to ignore its regulations to enrich an out of town developer.

A third example - over a year ago a complaint was filed with the Zoning Enforcement Official (ZEO) regarding the storage of large box rental trucks and rental trailers in the parking lot of a small local neighborhood convenience store, a use that is not allowed by the zoning regulations.  When no enforcement action was taken, and our Mayor was asked why, he reported “zoning is not a priority at this time”.  Over a year later the prohibited use of the property is continuing.  Amazingly, during the last P&Z meeting, the ZEO was directed to not enforce the regulations, and it was implied that the Town would continue to allow rental trucks to be stored in the parking lot.  

Zoning laws, and the zoning regulations that implement these laws, are to protect public health, safety, convenience, and property values.  Based on these examples, it appears it has become Town policy to ignore its land use regulations whenever they are inconvenient for land developers and businesses.

Will our Town Council vote to execute a lease of the Gales Ferry School for another change in “use” without first obtaining the required zoning permit? 

I urge everyone to attend the public hearing (Wednesday at 6:30 PM) and demand the Town honor and enforce its land use regulations in a lawful, fair, uniform, open, and timely manner. It would also be appropriate to suggest our Council conduct a public referendum to determine what its citizens desire for the future development of our Town.