By Sarah Opdahl

At their monthly meeting on Wednesday, December 6, New Fairfield’s Zoning Commission voted for Mr. John Moran to remain as Chair; Mr. Kevin Van Vlack will continue as Vice Chair. They also voted unanimously to approve a special permit for 180 State Road 39 to tear down and build the New Fairfield Parks and Recreation beach house.

New Fairfield Town Engineer Mr. Tony Iadarola explained, the goal for the beach house is to demolish the existing building and build a brand new one in the same location. He reminded Zoning members that the funds being used for the project was part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and, in several meetings last year it was supported by residents. He said, “they voted to implement this project and we’re working on implementing that.” Iadarola explained that the project has Zoning Board of Appeals and Wetlands approvals in place. “The existing building has been pretty much determined to be in a state of disrepair. There’s a portion of the building that’s literally falling off the foundation,” he said. He added that the new building’s design is respectful of the lake’s typical homes and is completely Americans with Disabilities (ADA) compliant.

There was a discussion about an ongoing issue – how the Town plans to handle the crosswalk that crosses Route 39 to the beach house. Though the Town had originally proposed a crosswalk with a push button and flashing lights a few years ago, the State did not approve of that plan, due to ADA-compliance issues. Iadarola plans to renew that conversation, saying “We should make it more safe than what we have right now.” Given that a code-compliant ramp would be “almost impossible” in that spot, Iadorala said that a waiver will likely be requested in order to move forward. Commission members agreed and po inted out the other areas in town where that typ e of crosswalk is already in place.

 Property owners near the proposed beach house spoke up t o say, while the proposed building certainly appears to be an improvement, they are concerned about the usage of the space, in particular, if the Town is planning to rent out the new “Community Room,” which was previously described as meeting space, which the Town lacks. They fear that the building is changing use from a two-month per year property to a year-round facility. They questioned oversight if the space is rented out for parties, from both maintenance and safety standpoints. Moran explained that he understood their concerns and asked that they bring these questions to the Board of Selectmen.

Moran commented on the ongoing bus lot litigation, saying  “the judge on the bus lot has asked for an extension and he has received an extension.” It will be approximately sixty days before there is news on the judge’s opinion. He also explained that he recently had a positive meeting with the new First Selectman Ms. Melissa Lindsay. Among other topics, they discussed the fact that there would be a new attorney representing the Town. It is likely that the new attorney will help the Zoning Commission with re-writing their regulations, a process which will begin this month.

The next regular Zoning Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 3, 7:30 p.m. The Commission will also begin to discuss updates and revisions to their regulations at a special meeting on Wednesday, December 13, 7:30 p.m.