Planning Board Hears Road Complaints, Discusses Route 1 Zoning and Windsor Gardens Expansion-August 29, 1967

Speaking on behalf of the neighborhood, Sheldon Kahalas of 77 Croyden Road told the board, “The residents of the area are pretty much in accord. We are extremely aggravated.” Residents had previously lodged grievances last December concerning developer Philip Phillips of Allied Associates. Because the roadway was constructed under 1954 planning regulations, blacktopping was not legally required. However, planners noted receipt of a letter from Phillips promising that construction work would commence on or before September 11.

Skeptical of past broken promises, Kahalas asked, “All we can do now then is sit and wait? The letter looks very good, but what happens if nothing is done by Sept. 11?” Planning Board member Francis Wisgirda assured residents that the board shares their impatience, stating, “We are definitely not going to wait until December. Action will be taken.” While Town Manager Walter A. Blasenak noted that gravel had recently been brought to the site, the board agreed to contact Phillips directly and demand a progress report at their next meeting on September 11.

Route 1 Zoning Compromise and Subdivisions

In other business, the planning board reviewed proposed rezoning plans for Route 1 commercial properties. Planners are attempting to forge a compromise between property owners and abutters by allowing full property utilization while mandating a 50-foot greenbelt buffer strip where no building would be permitted without a special permit from the Board of Appeals.

Additionally, the board met with John Lanzoni, who petitioned to divide a parcel of land on Union Street into two lots. Because the property falls outside subdivision control laws, member Wisgirda advised Lanzoni to revise his sketches to clearly delineate both lots, after which the committee voted unanimously to approve the plans subject to the updated mapping.

Windsor Gardens Expansion and Drainage Concerns

The board also reviewed official correspondence from the state Commissioner of Natural Resources (DNR) regarding the controversial expansion plans for the Windsor Gardens apartment complex, which had recently been the subject of a Hatch Act hearing.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger