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OLD LYME — A public hearing by the town’s zoning commission to review three 10,500-square-foot buildings at 250 Shore Road intended for contractor services and storage will continue at Town Hall on August 12 at 6 p.m.
More than 100 neighborhood and area residents have signed a petition in opposition to the project. Many spoke against the proposal at the May 10, June 14, and July 12 Zoning Commission meetings.
As currently designed, each building would measure 70’ wide, 150’ long and 35’ high and contain 12 875-square-foot spaces that could be separately rented as storage units or for business services, according to a special permit application submitted by CN&S Realty of Old Lyme. Allowable uses would include secretarial and landscaping services, but both retail and motor vehicle services would be excluded.
The project would require three septic systems, one for each building, with leaching fields on the 3.77-acre site. At a July 12 zoning meeting Robert Doane, an engineer on the project, said the original design which included a bathroom in each rental space could be reduced to a single bathroom in each of the three buildings.
Scott Trepanier, a nearby resident on Flagler Road, told CT Examiner on Monday that he and his neighbors are concerned about the management of activities and materials on the property as well as potential illegal beach parking.
“Say there are certain things not allowed inside, who is going to enforce [the rules]? Are there hazardous materials, services or projects that they’re not supposed to do there? Once they’re in, they’re in,” said Trepanier.
The entrance to the project is currently planned directly across from Flagler Road, which Trepanier said is the only active entrance to Miami Beach Association in the summer when all of the other streets are gated.
“It’s going to create a huge traffic issue with tractor-trailers trying to make those turns,” he warned. Other concerns include safety for children at the nearby school and park facilities.
An existing nearby storage facility is located at 232 Shore Road. South Shore Landing, built in 1986, includes seven buildings ranging from 3,800 square feet to 8,700 square feet.
On July 13, 2020, the Zoning Commission also approved a special permit application for four 1-story storage buildings ranging in size from 1,800 to 4,200 square feet at 224 Shore Road, a 1.7-acre site. The applicant, Mar Holdings, LLC, owned by Frank Maratta, requested that one of the four buildings be allowed to contain a “shop/office” for four employees. The storage units were to be available 24/7. So far, that project has not been built.