An application seeking to change a residentially zoned parcel to an industrial zone for an unidentified manufacturer was denied Monday by the Bristol Zoning Commission.
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An application seeking to change a residentially zoned parcel to an industrial zone for an unidentified manufacturer was denied Monday by the Bristol Zoning Commission.
The proposal, which received a positive recommendation from the Planning Commission in December, was rejected 3-2 by the Zoning Commission, with Chairman David White casting the deciding vote.
The vote came after a public hearing that began last month was concluded Monday.
Attorney James Ziogas, representing the applicant and land owner, said the intent was to create one large, industrially zoned parcel that could be developed by a manufacturer he has declined to identify.
The vacant, wooded 8.6 acres is a section of a larger 20.7-acre property owned by attorney Stephan O. Allaire. The parcel, zoned R-40 for residential development, sits north of three single-family homes on Matthews Street and between two parcels also owned by Allaire that are in an industrial development zone.
The two existing industrially zoned parcels include one that is also 8.6 acres and has frontage on Clark Avenue but also has a small section that fronts on Matthews Street. The other is 3.5 acres and has frontage on Minor Street.
Both Ziogas and City Planner Robert Flanagan said the two different zones for the property have existed since the mid-1970s.
The R-40 zone allows low-density, single-family residential development with a minimum lot size of 40,000 square feet.
The parcel zoned R-40 has no access to a city street and is bisected by a railroad. There is also a significant right-of-way for Eversource that runs along the western edge of the parcel.
During the public hearing Monday, Ziogas said the applicant had agreed to add a buffer zone between the parcel and abutting homeowners.
Neighbors who spoke during the hearing opposed the zone change, saying the area could not handle the traffic that would be generated by a new manufacturer.
After closing the hearing, a motion was raised to approve the proposal, but it failed when three commissioners voted no. None of the commissioners who voted against the proposal offered an explanation for their vote.
