A Haunted Attraction and Take Two for a New Gas Station

A quick synopsis of what happened at last night's Bethany Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

• Eric Soltis of Shelton submitted a proposal to construct and operate a haunted attraction in Bethany at the site of the driving range at 667 Amity Road. It would be tentatively named the “Amity Road Horror” and would be held on weekends through the month of October. The commission had concerns about noise and lighting that they said would have to be addressed.
• A public hearing was held regarding an addition to a business at 18 Munson Road and a special exception permit for outside storage. The addition to the 6,000 square foot building would be 7,200 square feet and be almost invisible from the road.
• The second part of the public hearing was to discuss the proposed Bethany Zoning Regulation Amendment to Section 6 – prohibited uses of signs with any type of internal lighting. John Paul Garcia spoke and said he believed it was not a good idea to completely ban this type of lighting as new technology has evolved to make them softer and more attractive than many externally illuminated signs. He said the commission should consider addressing each request for this type of signage on an individual basis.
• The commission received an application for a new gas station at 6 Sargent Drive. Engineer John Paul Garcia said changes had been made as previously discussed with the commission including the parking, canopy, location of the air pump and architectural changes. The commission scheduled a public hearing for the next meeting on Jan. 4, 2012.