Shooting Range Concept Draws Heavy Opposition at Zoning Meeting
Over 50 residents turned out during a Zoning Commission meeting where the issue was changing a text of the regulation, allowing for a a Naugatuck property owner to file an application for a shooting range at 230 Webb Road.
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A proposal to build a shooting range in the middle of a largely residential area of Naugatuck has already garnered backlash from neighbors before it has even gotten to the application process.
Over 50 people packed the Hall of Burgesses on the fourth floor of Town Hall Wednesday for a public hearing on a proposal to change a zoning regulation text, brought forward by Attorney Thomas B. Lynch.
Lynch represents Roger Spinelli, a Shelton businessman who wants to build a 42,000-square-foot indoor shooting range on his multi-acre piece of property at 230 Webb Road. Spinelli belongs to Long Meadow Brook LLC, which takes its namesake from a brook on the property.
“There’s a great need in the state for shooting ranges and practice ranges, there’s a great market for that amongst law enforcement agencies,” said Lynch, who explained the proposed shooting range would be a self-contained and sound proof facility. “We would have more that would come before you with an application for the building and the site plan.”
The underlying issue is the fact that the property is located in an I-2 Zone, meaning light industrial, and is surrounded by a number of residential zones. Currently, the I-2 regulation does not allow the creation of recreational facilities like a shooting range. Lynch and Spinelli have requested an amendment to that rule that would make it akin to the I-1 Zone, or heavy industrial area, which does allow for recreational facilities.
Residents, however, argue that most of the area surrounding the 230 Webb Road property is residential. Some said the I-2 classification was for purposes such as farming or a nursery, not something like a shooting range. Residents said it would upset the traffic flow to the area and that it could be a hazard to children.
Some also argued that they weren’t against such a facility being built in Naugatuck, but they just didn’t want it built near them.
“I don’t think the intention of making this an I-2 Zone was ever to allow this type of facility here,” said Dave Rogers, whose family has owned his 100 Hill Rd. property since 1958. “Not only the noise, but the sulfur smell could ruin the neighborhood. I don’t care if you put a $600,000 system in there. I’ve talked to people that have been to (shooting range) and they said you can smell the sulfur outside.”
Kimberly Simko, another person who spoke during the near two-hour public hearing, said she also didn’t have a problem with the proposal but she took issue with the location. Simko said that, since she has moved to Naugatuck in 1989, she and her husband had to make between $15,000 and $18,000 in repairs to their property due to issues related to traffic.
She gave the example of having to deal with plow crews from both Naugatuck and Middlebury piling up snow on their land. Simko also explained how she recently had to help three teenagers who crashed their car in a ditch after they attempted to “catch air” while driving on a specific part of the road.
Simko gave all these examples to highlight how traffic could change if a shooting range came in.
“I can’t even imagine the ramifications of traffic that’s going to occur in that area,” she said.
Chester Cornacchia, the chairman of the Naugatuck Economic Development Commission, offered the lengthiest argument against the proposal. Speaking for nearly 15 minutes, Cornacchia offered several reports paid for by the borough that he argued go against the construction of a shooting range in that area.
Cornacchia said 38 percent of the property is water and the nearby Long Meadow Brook is a feeder to the Naugatuck River. He also cited the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), which the commission itself wrote in 2001.
“That particular parcel, [the POCD] said it should go from industrial to residential,” Cornacchia said. “That’s as clear as day. It wasn’t something that somebody decided because they said, ‘well let’s do it because we feel like it.’ It’s in a rural, peaceful part of town.”
After the presentation, Zoning Chairman Joseph Savarese reiterated that the gun range was not the subject of the public hearing.
“If there was a text change, then we would have to go through all these other details,” Savarese said. “Right now our concern is on a text change.”
Spinelli was present during the entire public hearing, although he did speak at any point. Reached for comment afterward, he said there was no reason to discuss the proposal during the meeting because the text amendment still has to go through.
“(The residents) were putting the wagon before the horse,” said James L. Cormier, principal consultant working with Spinelli on the proposal.
Cormier went on to say that, while the proposed range would be three stories, one level of it would be subterranean. He argued that they would also look to install high-level technology to dissipate any sulfur smell, as well as keep the facility safe and soundproof.
“Unless we get past the modifications of zones, obviously the administration is going to be looking for the best efforts for the community,” Spinelli said. “We’re not looking to do this at the expense of the people.”
Marcia Puc
9:51 am on Thursday, February 17, 2011
I heard no compelling evidence at the hearing as to why text should be changed (to the I-2 zoining regulation). If the zoning commission wants to go the route in expanding the zoning in an I-1 zone (mainly properties along the river/rr tracks and in the industrial park) they need to decide if that's in the best interest of Naugatuck. As for allowing I-1 activites in zone I-2 (through a text change) then that's essentially changing the zoning regulations to make an I-2 zone (light industry) an I-1 zone (heavy industry). As it was stated in the article, our town paid good money (quite a bit of it) for a professional study to be conducted on properties and it was determined that many I-2 properties should be re-zoned to residential (this property in particular) Years later, this has not happended... It's time to move Naugatuck forward, not back. Naugatuck needs to make good, sound planning/business development decisions.
dorinda guedelha
10:52 am on Thursday, February 17, 2011
People move to this side of town for the peace and quiet it offers it's residents. A shooting range will disrupt the ecology and peacefulness it now has. Mr. Spinelli is out line his own pockets with out caring for the surrounding neighbors. He lives in Fairfield County, why doesn't he build it in his backyard? And where would the entrance for this complex be? It would have to be on Webb Rd., because he no longer owns the parcels on Rubber Ave. Ext.
DaveRay
11:13 pm on Thursday, February 17, 2011
This application is an insult to all residents of Naugatuck. Look at the facts, a Shelton developer seeking to pass a "text change" to the I-2 Zoning designation (which is essentially farmland) so that it really means the same thing as an I-1 designation (heavy Industry). Instead of simply requesting a zone change, (which incidentally would require written notice to surrounding property owners), he opted to attempt to sneak this by without public scrutiny. He has a checkered history of foreclosure and bankruptcy (Google CT Court Lookup - Roger Spinelli). If he was looking for an I-1 use, why not just ask for it, instead of going about it in a clandestine way? I-1 and I-2 are very different precisely because they serve different neads to the community. The property in question was examined by land use professionals and environmental experts paid for by Naugatuck residents in the several reports that are on file in the Naugatuck Land Use Office. The gentleman who spoke so passionately and convincingly near the end of the public hearing had it spot on; this is about our Health, Safety, Public Welfare, our Environment and our Property Value. Changing the rules to allow airborne LEAD particles(a known and dangerous poison) in and around a residential area which is dominated by wetlands and KIDS (the most affected and vulnerable to lead poisoning) and whose brook and wetlands feed neighboring residential wells is simply irresponsible and NEGLIGENT.
Maria Goretti Pinheiro
5:25 pm on Saturday, February 19, 2011
I oppose this zone change, this property is surrounded by all residential homes, this property was meant to be residential. The one person who was for the zone change at the meeting and wanted the shooting facilty lives off of New Haven Road, let's put it in his back yard on the Peter Paul Property which is already zoned industrial. Webb Road can not handle any more traffic and the fact that there are lack of fire hydrants in the area. Naugatuck already made one bad decision in this area, our subdivision has water tanks with insuffcient water to put out fires, which Naugatuck approved at the time now there are subdivisions with less homes that require 35,000 gallon tanks, which we do not have. If this is approved the traffic on Webb Road would be horrible for residents and emergency vehicles and school buses for the hunreds of children in the neighborhoods surrounding this property. All the properities in the area are supplied by wells, Naugatuck will have bigger problems if these wells get contaminated with lead. Naugatuck has to rethink this and put their residents first.
sam landsman
6:41 pm on Sunday, February 20, 2011
This project is a completely inappropriate use of this land. Nick had tried to sell the nursery for years and even the town of Naugatuck would not consider it for a school. Anyone looking at it could see the complicated wetland and access issues. If this goes through you will see the 150 year old farmhouse disappear so the entrance can be at the top of the hill on Webb rd, otherwise insufficient sight lines will cause them to build a bridge over long meadow brook and the wetlands. They have long term plans for several large buildings and parking lots. The 42,000 SqFt shooting range is only phase one. Lead contamination at firing ranges is a well documented issue and should be given serious consideration in any discussion on this type of facility. You will never know if there is an issue until someone, probably a child, shows up sick. As far as these buildings having a basement, I think the water table will not allow it. That leaves an on grade building built into the hill near Webb rd. If Naugatuck wants this type of facility we need to find a more stable developer and a suitable piece of property otherwise I feel this will cause years of litigation and angst for the local residents.
Kayakguy
9:51 am on Tuesday, February 22, 2011
This is a bad idea not only because of the traffic/safety issues, but also because it will be detroying a beautiful peice of wetland along the beautiful Long Meadow Brook. This is the same brook that runs through the Guntown property. We all know what a fight that turned out to be. It is also a major tributary of the Naugatuck River. I thought we were trying to restore the Naugy, not detroy the Naugy??? Go find a cheap piece of property in Fairfield County, I am sure you can find one in Greenwich...
Jaclyn Farnham
12:25 am on Sunday, March 13, 2011
It is very important for residents to come out and try to provide compelling evidence that this use is not appropriate. For some reason abuse coming from zoning and wetlands boards is rampant and we must all take steps to stop it.