KENT, Conn.—The Planning and Zoning Commission has granted permission to Steve Katz and Alison Palmer to continue pottery workshops as part of their major home occupation at 48 Stone Fences Lane.
Palmer had operated a pottery studio onsite for the past 17 years without proper permits, an issue that came to light when a new neighbor complained about traffic on the private road generated by the studio’s special events, especially the Clay Way Studio Tour in October, and a nine-day open house held in December.
A public hearing was held Jan. 9 in which neighbors complained about traffic and parking congestion and asserted that the subdivision, which is governed by a housing association, was never intended for businesses.
In opening the February PZC meeting for discussion, Chairman Wesley Wyrick noted that the Planning and Zoning Commission was not bound by housing association rules. “We do what is right for the town, not the association,” he said.
He presented two resolutions, one approving and the other denying the application.
The commission started with the approval resolution and discussed conditions that might be imposed if it were to be approved. Among them were limiting the number of workshops days to 12 a year; confining hours to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and limiting the number of participants to no more than 10 persons traveling to the site in no more than 10 cars.
It was stipulated that approval of workshops did not include approval for other events at the studio.
The conditions were hammered out after discussion of the needs of the studio in planning workshops.
Initially, the wording allowed 12 workshops annually, but it was noted that the workshops sometimes span several days.
“I’m a little concerned about constricting the frequency of the workshops,” said member Lawrence Dumoff. “To do this kind of work may take more than one day at a time. You go in one day and fire your work overnight and then go the next day and look the results and critique it.
“It’s always a question of balance,” agreed Wyrick. The commission opted for a more flexible definition of 12 days annually that can be grouped in any way Katz and Palmer want, but with no individual workshop to last more than three days.
Similarly, it was originally suggested that workshop days run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the commission opted to shorten this by an hour in attempt to avoid traffic congestion when Stone Fences residents are returning from work.
It was noted that the approval was for public workshops and did not limit Palmer’s use of the studio at other times.
Wyrick polled the members to discern their opinions and all but one agreed that the application should be granted.
Shelby Green said, “I don’t think the criteria have been met based on statements by a good number of neighbors about the effects on environment and nuisance. Our goal is protecting the community and not their operations.”
But she added that the housing association has its own rules that the owners must meet. “It does not matter what we decide if the association denies it,” she said.
Any modification of the application submitted by Katz and Palmer requires them to come back before the PZC. Any violations would vacate the approval.
“We have approved a lot of home occupations by special permit, and this is not inconsistent with what we have done before,” said Wyrick.
Wyrick reminded his commission that they must revisit the zoning regulations’ erroneous section on political signs. There was a kerfuffle during the past election when one member, speaking as a private citizen on Facebook, quoted restrictions currently in the regulation that have been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Town counsel advised that the section be removed.
“I feel we should get some professional help on this,” said Wyrick. The group agreed to engage their planning consultant, Glenn Chalder of Planimetrics.
