The Southbury Record

A mixed-use proposal for 333 Main Street South could bring apartments and retail space to one of Southbury’s busiest corridors.

The concept calls for a three-story building with retail on the ground floor and 34 apartments above – a blend of one- and two-bedroom units.

The application, submitted by Hugh Sullivan of Bennett Sullivan Associates, was outlined at Wednesday’s Zoning Commission meeting, but procedural hurdles still need to be met as the town continues to fine-tune its zoning regulations.

“This is new for Southbury,” Sullivan said at Wednesday’s meeting.

The proposed 48,150 square foot building would combine 8,900 square feet of ground-floor retail with 39,250 square feet of residential use (16 one-bedroom and 18 two-bedroom apartments) on a site next to Union Square Plaza and across the street from Denmo’s Famous.

If approved, the project would reflect the recent and ongoing revisions to the town’s zoning regulations, which aim to provide more flexibility for mixed-use residential-over-retail developments while trying to maintain local control in the process.

“We’ve gotten positive feedback from tenants that would be interested in the location,” Sullivan said, speaking to the retail side of the proposal.

The site would feature large storefront windows, giving the imagery of a retail space, said Sullivan, with the building lending a traditional feel of a brick building with shutters and clapboard siding.

“We really tried to bring in a lot of familiar imagery that we believe the residents of Southbury would like,” said Sullivan. “One of the things we wanted to do was to hide the parking. With this design, the parking is under the building.”

He referenced the nearby assisted living facility further down along Main Street South (Motif by Monarch) and said he aimed to bring a familiar feel along the main artery of Southbury.

“When you look at it from the street, you don’t feel the depth of that structure,” said Sullivan. “This is the same type of design method that we’d like to have here for this project.”

Amenities would include deferred parking, a fitness center for residents, and an exterior roof deck, he added.

“They are unique apartments, different from anything available in Southbury,” said Sullivan.

Some members of the Zoning Commission sought clarification on site details, such as setbacks and septic systems, as Sullivan explained the reasoning behind the location of the structure in relation to Main Street South.

“It’s not like Westport or Ridgefield where they have a tight and dense downtown with sewer systems,” he said. “We have to rely on septic for this to work.”

Order of Operations

In order to allow a project of this type, the Zoning Commission must create what is being dubbed a “PDD-Lite”, or a version of a Planned Development District that gives just enough flexibility to allow this developer’s mix of apartments and retail shops, without rewriting the entire zoning code for this part of town.

Land Use Administrator Jordan Marcinko said this process would define an economic area and add a provision to section 12 of the zoning regulations for flexibility on smaller, non-conforming sites.

He described it as “an exception that the Zoning Commission could make where, if they saw the merit of an application, they could deem that a parcel that would qualify as a Planned Development Unit can have the same effective overlay tool as a parcel with five acres or more, being a Planned Development District.”

Marcinko, alongside commissioner Wendy Bernard, explained that this method would maintain local control, with the commission overseeing conversations about similar proposed projects.

“We want people investing in Southbury,” said Marcinko. “We want people making our town a more vibrant and beautiful place. The streetscape is the place we are hyper-focused on making sure it’s right. I think the application does a lot to do that, but regardless of the application, if this commission didn’t feel inclined in this regard, this application doesn’t move forward.

He continued, “If they wanted to put 8-30g residences on the property, they could go right ahead and do it. It’s still meeting the same needs, just missing the retail component.”

“I personally don’t want to see it go that route,” Marcinko stated, with Bernard replying, “then we would lose control.”

The Zoning Commission then set a date for a special meeting on Tuesday, October 14, to formally receive the petition to amend section 12 of the zoning regulations.

A public hearing has been tentatively set for Wednesday, November 12, for the proposed application brought by Bennett Sullivan and Associates.

Zoning Commission Chair Gary Giroux was not present for Wednesday’s meeting.

Attitude Shift

Sullivan said that he had previously tried to bring residential spaces along Main Street South in Southbury about 35 years ago, but the attempts were ultimately denied at the time.

So, what has changed since then?

“I think attitudes about housing have changed,” Sullivan told The Record.

He explained that there is no longer that high level of public desire to have a four-bedroom house with a two-car garage attached to a subdivision.

“Some may think it’s the American dream, but as an architect and a planner, I can’t stand them because they’ve really ruined a lot of the open space,” he explained.

Sullivan, who also chairs the town’s Streetscape Review Subcommittee, detailed that the proposed plans for 333 Main Street South include a connection to the streetscape layout, as well as adequate access for all emergency vehicles with cul-de-sac style parking in the rear of the building.

The current timeline will allow enough time for the Planning Commission to receive the application, send it back for referral, and have it ready before the next scheduled Zoning Commission meeting next month.

Following the special meeting scheduled for Tuesday, October 14, the next scheduled Zoning Commission meeting will be on Wednesday, November 12, where it will also serve as the public hearing for the proposed mixed-use project.