APPROVED 02-25-2010

TOWN OF ENFIELD

ENFIELD REVITALIZATION STRATEGY COMMITTEE

MINUTES OF JANUARY 28, 2010 

TOWN HALL / ENFIELD ROOM

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ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS

Members Present:    

Darrin LaMore, Chairman

Ken Edgar

Bill Lee

John Miller

Colleen Reidy  

Jeanne Smith

Staff Members:         

Peter Bryanton, OCD

Guests: 

Tom Froment, Kelly Hemmler, Dominic Alaimo 

Call to Order:

Chairman LaMore opened the meeting at 7:15 p.m.

Minutes:

The minutes could not be voted on as the committee did not have a quorum.  All minutes will be voted on at the February meeting.

NEW BUSINESS

53 Windsor Street

Tom Froment, a local builder, gave an overview of his housing proposal for 53 Windsor Street and stated that he intends on filing an application with the Planning & Zoning Commission to rezone an area around his property.  He has met with the Director of Development Services and the Town Planner about the proposal and is seeking support from the ERSC and other interested parties.  Councilman Lee commented that he likes the idea of creating new housing and would support more owner occupied units within the village.  Mr. Bryanton stated that the current zoning is not practical for the village and that he would like to create developer incentives for the creation of owner occupied housing as well.  Mr. Froment will submit a PZC application sometime in February.

Clothing Bins

Mr. LaMore asked if the owners of the clothing bins at the corner of Pleasant and Main Street were present for the meeting.  Mr. Bryanton said that he did not expect the applicant to appear because the Town issued a citation to remove the bins within 10 days as they are not permitted under the current zoning regulations.  There was a brief discussion about problems caused by such bins and the members were relieved to learn that they are in fact illegal.  Mr. LaMore asked if the application would be reviewed at the next PZC meeting.  Mr. Bryanton said that he did not see it on the PZC agenda. Mr. LaMore asked about the applicant's $160 filing fee.  Mr. Bryanton stated that the only the Planning and Zoning Commission can vote to return the funds to the applicant.  No further action was taken on this case.

Rental Permits

Mr. LaMore gave an update on the Residential Rental Permit initiative.  He and Councilman Lee attend a Landlord Association meeting to explain the Committee's intentions in pursuing such a program.  While most of the attendees were against the idea of a universal rental permit system, some advocated for a voluntary system where the Town would inspect and certify rental units.  Their main issue was that good landlords should not be punished because of the actions of a few bad ones.  In light of this, Mr. Bryanton provided the Committee with two examples of permit programs from other states which focus primarily on illegal activities and outline clear punishments for non-compliance.  He mentioned that the issue of compliance is being discussed at the Code Enforcement Team level as well.  Mr. LaMore stated that the Committee will continue to work on this project and will report back to the Town Council in June.  

109 Pearl Street

Mr. Bryanton handed out before and after photos of the renovation at the subject property.  Most members felt that the changes were positive in light of what was there previously.  Ms. Reidy said that the building now seems stark and could have been greatly improved with some architectural details.  However she did understand that cost was a determining factor in this case.  Mr. Bryanton stated that the property will look even better after being painted and the work completed. 

Committee Bylaws

Mr. LaMore explained that the committee would like to develop bylaws to focus our charge and address membership issues, specifically those who fail to attend meetings.  Councilman Lee stated that removing members from a town committee is not easy and takes direct action from the Town Council.  He did say that because the Committee is part of the zoning process, stated goals and objectives would be appropriate.  Mr. Bryanton suggested that the number of members on the Committee is an issue, and that the Committee's charge needs to be more concise.  He provided the members with a copy of the Loan Review Committee's resolution as a model.  The Committee will discuss the issue at its next meeting. 

ECDC

Mr. Bryanton explained that the reinstitution of the ECDC has been held up by the State because the corporation's assets were never recorded with DECD.  The funds must be in a Revolving Loan Account and are subject to quarterly financial report just as the Town's CDBG loan programs are currently.  Therefore Mr. Bryanton has been working with the State to develop a Program Income Reuse Plan for these funds which will be submitted to the State in the next few days.  If approved, the Town will be able to utilize the funds to hire an Attorney to draft new corporation documents and get them to the Town Council so that they can reinstitute the organization.  Mr. Bryanton will continue to update the Committee on this initiative as thing progress.

Plan of Conservation & Development

Mr. LaMore stated that the final draft of the plan has been completed and is on the Town's website for public review.  Mr. Bryanton said that he could not locate the link and asked Mr. LaMore to forward it to the Committee members.  Mr. LaMore explained that there would be a public forum to solicit input on the plan.  There will also be a Council of Chairs meeting prior to the public meeting to discuss specific sections and how they relate to certain boards and commissions.  He mentioned that Jack Lopes has been the Committee's liaison for the plan thus far and will be asked to provide his comments prior to the Council of Chairs meeting. 

Transit Oriented Development Subcommittee

Mr. LaMore stated that Jack Lopes is working on this initiative.  There is nothing new to report at this time.

Public Safety Subcommittee

Mr. LaMore said that he is still working on the development of this group, but has not received much support from other Town officials on the subject.  He did mention that Bill Watson made a nice presentation to the Town Council concerning the increase in registered sex offenders in Enfield, and asked them to consider adopting an ordinance similar to the one proposed by ERSC.  The Town Council referred the matter to the Town Attorney's office.  Councilman Lee felt that the issue is very serious and timely enough so that it will receive proper attention from Town officials.  He will wait to hear back from the Town Attorney before taking any further action. 

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

Submitted by:  

Peter Bryanton, Director of Community Development

Approved By:

Darrin LaMore, ERSC Chairman

Signature: _______________________________________  Date: __________________