Waterford ZBA Approves Variance Requests for Butlertown Road, Laurel Street Properties

WATERFORD, CT — The Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved variance requests for two residential properties during its July 1 meeting, allowing the owners to move forward with plans to rebuild a home on Butlertown Road and expand a home on Laurel Street.

The board voted 5-0 to approve an application from Owen and Gayle O'Neill for variances related to front yard setbacks at 156 Butlertown Road in the RU-120 zoning district. The owners plan to demolish an existing house and detached garage, which they said have been vacant for 28 years, and construct a new home with an attached garage.

During the public hearing, Dave Cooley of DLC Engineering told the board the 2.78-acre property contains approximately 1.72 acres of wetlands or upland review area, limiting where a new home can be built. He said the proposed house would comply with rear and side yard setback requirements and would be located about 3 feet farther from Butlertown Road than the existing home, reducing the property's existing nonconforming front yard setback. The project also includes a new well and a septic system approved by the Ledge Light Health District. No members of the public spoke during the hearing. The board approved the application by a 5-0 vote.

The board also unanimously approved an application from Clint and Donna Combs for variances involving east and west side yard setbacks and lot coverage at 20 Laurel St. in the VR-7.5 zoning district. Surveyor Brian Florek told the board the homeowners plan to square off the existing house on all four sides and extend the roof overhangs to improve stormwater runoff while reusing the home's first floor.

Zoning Official Wayne Scott asked whether the proposed second-story deck had been included in the lot coverage calculations, and Florek said it had. Scott also noted that no Coastal Area Management report had been submitted with the application. No one from the public spoke during the hearing, and the board approved the request 5-0.

Earlier in the meeting, the board approved the minutes of its April 1 meeting by a 4-0-1 vote, with Alternate Anne Darling abstaining, and approved the May 14 meeting minutes unanimously, 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 6:06 p.m.