PZC Zone Change Denial Thwarts Vernon Apartment Plan

VERNON, CT — The Vernon Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday denied a zone change request from a major developer that would have paved a path for a 56-unit multi-family development at 195-209 South St.

The vote was 7-0.

Essentially, the contention of the PZC was that single-family homes made up a more appropriate use for the 7-acre parcel, Vernon Town Planner George McGregor said.

Santini Homes had requested a zone change from residential to multi-family to accommodate the South Street plans. Santini currently has hundreds of contiguous apartments in Vernon that stretch from the back end of the parcel, across Vernon Avenue and Across Route 30.

Residents of the area vehemently protested any zone change and accumulated about 120 signatures on a petition presented to the PZC.

A second petition signed by more than 20 percent of the abutters made a two-thirds vote necessary for a zone change, but that was rendered moot by the unanimous tally against the change.