Flood Tide Needs Deck Addition to Keep Liquor License

Normally, the Stonington Planning and Zoning Commission prefers to hear construction plans before any building has been done. On Tuesday evening, however, they approved a zoning permit application for a deck addition that has already been partially constructed. So, it’s probably a good thing that plan was approved with stipulations.

The commission approved a zoning permit for a deck addition at the Flood Tide Restaurant at the Inn at Mystic. The addition to the existing deck is necessary for fire escape egress, according to the fire marshal.

The applicant Jody Dyer wasn’t aware she needed the zoning permit, just that the deck was something that needed to happen.

“I did not have plans made for this project, I didn’t have any money, but we knew what we had to do and why we had to do it,” Dyer said.

A member of the maintenance staff helped to build the addition that the fire marshal said was necessary for the building permit. Without the building permit the restaurant wouldn’t be able to renew its liquor license. Currently if there was a fire and people had to evacuate they would end up in the pool area.

“If we had a fire people would go into the pool area and drown,” Dyer said, adding she also worries about people drinking and going into the pool area by mistake.

While filing out other paperwork at the Department of Planning Office the fact that they needed a zoning permit for the deck came out, so Dyer applied for one with the PZC.

Dyer said she couldn’t afford to put money into the plans, but the plans troubled some of the PZC members.

“I don’t see a problem with approving it, it would just be better to have a sketch with a little more detail,” PZC Chairman Rob Marseglia said.

The PZC voted to approve the zoning permit on the condition the applicant submits new plans that are appropriate in scale, put the dimensions of the property into context and include a planned view of the deck.