Simsbury Zoning Commission Hearing September 16, 2024 Text Amendment

Zoning Commission Hearing September 16,2024 – Text Amendments Industrial Districts

Before anyone discusses the use of the land of the Community Farm, one must understand that the land was donated to the town by Amos Eno to serve the poor.

The Town Farm is to be used for the occupation, maintenance, and support of the Town’s poor and for no other purpose whatsoever.

Amos Eno also specified that the land could be used by the Town to help the poor “for only so long as the town shall care for and support its poor on said farm without contracting them out to any person or persons for their care and maintenance. The town is not to sell or dispose of any part of said farm to any person or persons.”

This proposal is a violation of the Eno Trust and should be reviewed by the Charities Division of the Attorney General’s Office before there is any voting on this text amendment.

The Town has approved a lease agreement with Flamig Farm Products Disposal that is a violation of the land designation and should be ordered to cease and desist with the operation and remove all their equipment from the land.

Chipped wood could bring many insects, mold, and other contaminants to the land.

Wood chip piles can be a fire hazard.

Food waste could bring wildlife to the site.

Wood chips can create a habitat for slugs.

DEEP requires composting businesses to have permits to protect the environment.

As of this date, there are no permits registered with DEEP.

Changing the designation of zones is creating a change in the character of Simsbury and should not be in the hands of a biased political attorney defending a client.

There are always unintended consequences when changes are blanketed throughout the town and should not be used to further a hidden agenda.

The Zoning Commission has the authority to permit special exceptions on the benefits presented on a case-by-case basis.

The members of the Zoning Commission were voted by the people to protect the town land that creates a positive quality of life, not a political attorney that is self-serving.

I urge the Zoning Commission to deny the motion that The Zoning Commission APPROVE ZC #24-20 an Application of Louis N. George,

Esq., Applicant, for a text amendment to the Simsbury Zoning Regulations pursuant to Section 5

(Industrial Districts) and Section 17 (Definitions), to permit agricultural and agricultural events

and organics recycling facility as a main use in Industrial-1 (I-1, I-2) Districts.