MINUTES<= o:p>
WATERTOWN
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
PUBLIC H=
EARING
WEDNESDA=
Y,
APRIL 27, 2005 - 7:30 P.M.
JOHN TRU=
MBULL
PRIMARY SCHOOL MEDIA CENTER
APPLICAT=
ION
#797 – JAMES AND KIM OTTOWITZ, JR.
PRESENT:
&nbs=
p; John Griffith
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; Roger
Mitchell
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
; Enrico Sarandrea, Chai=
rman
ABSENT: =
&nb=
sp; &=
nbsp; Phil
Roger, Vice Chairman
ALTERNATES PRESENT: =
Chris
Lafferty
=
; &n=
bsp; Scott
Stewart
ALTERNATES ABSENT: &=
nbsp; None
OTHERS PRESENT: &n=
bsp; =
; Mary
Barton, Zoning Enforcement Officer
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
; Moosa Rafey, Assistant
Zoning Enforcement Officer
1. =
Call
Meeting To Order
Mr. Sarandrea, Chairman, Called the Public Hearing to Order at about 8:07 p.m.<= o:p>
Mr.
Sarandrea, Chairman, asked Mr. Lafferty to sit in for Mr. Roger, in his
absence.
2. &nb=
sp; Roll
Call
Ms.
Bisson, Secretary, executed the Roll Call.
Ms.
Bisson, Secretary, read the Legal Notice for the record as follows:
&=
nbsp; The
Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Watertown will hold a Public Hearing=
at
7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 at the John Trumbull Primary School
Media Center, 779 Buckingham Street, Oakville, CT to hear and act upon the
following applications:
WATERTOWN
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
PUBLIC H=
EARING
APPLICAT=
ION
#797 – JAMES AND KIN OT=
TOITZ,
JR.
APRIL 27=
, 2005
Page 2
&=
nbsp; Application
#797 of James and Kim Ottowitz, Jr. of 1119 Bunker Hill Road, Watertown, CT
request for a variance of 10 feet to a side yard property line setback to
permit the construction of a 780 square foot addition to an existing single
family dwelling to be located 10 feet from a side yard property line at 1119
Bunker Hill Road, Watertown, CT in an R-30 Residential Zoning District.
&=
nbsp; Section
23.5.3.c of the Watertown Zoning Regulations requires minimum 20 feet side =
yard
property line setback for a principle building in an R-30 Residential Zoning
District.
&=
nbsp; At
this Hearing interested persons and written communications will be heard.
&=
nbsp; Dated
at Watertown, Connecticut his 14th day of April, 2005.
&=
nbsp; Dated
at Watertown, Connecticut this 21st day of April, 2005.
&=
nbsp; Mary
Bisson, Secretary
&=
nbsp; Zoning
Board of Appeals”
3. Hearing of Cases=
&=
nbsp; C. Application
#797 of James and Kim Ottowitz, Jr. request for a variance of 10 feet to a =
side
yard property line setback to permit the construction of an addition at 1119
Bunker Hill Road, Watertown, CT.
&=
nbsp; Recess
or Adjourn, the Public Hearing must be Closed by June 1, 2005 unless applic=
ant
grants a time extension.
&=
nbsp; James
Ottowitz, Jr. 1119 Bunker Hill Road, Watertown, CT
=
; Kim
Ottowitz, 1119 Bunker Hill Road, Watertown, CT
=
; Mr.
Ottowitz: Our house, the structu=
re is
roughly 100 years old, it used to be a carriage house.
=
; Ms.
Ottowitz: Or a barn.
WATERTOWN
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
PUBLIC H=
EARING
APPLICAT=
ION
#797 – JAMES AND KIN OT=
TOITZ,
JR.
APRIL 27=
, 2005
Page 3
=
; Mr.
Ottowitz: Yea, we’re not s=
ure
what it was. About 50 years a=
go it
was converted to a residence.
It’s very small and we’re trying to address a few
shortcomings of the property at least from a user standpoint. First of all there’s very li=
ttle
storage space, closets, and we also do not have a garage or a (inaudible) s=
ewer
so our current plan is to build a 2 car garage on the west side of the hous=
e as
you face the street, a master bedroom on top, and also a mud room adjoining=
the
main part of the house with the garage.&nb=
sp;
Our primary, we talked to 3 different builders, just trying to
brainstorm different ways to go about the project, and pretty much everyone=
was
in concurrence that our options are kind of limited in terms of where we can
build. On the right side of t=
he
property is our septic so that rules that out, and part of the property is =
the
well, and in the back of the property, based on the slope of the property,
creates a lot of complications from a building standpoint in terms of how y=
ou
were doing the house.
&=
nbsp; Ms.
Ottowitz: It would also r=
equire
us to build a 3 story structure instead of a 2.
&=
nbsp; Mr.
Ottowitz: So the basic
consensus among all builders and what seems to make the most sense being th=
at
the driveway is already on the west side of the house, is to adjoin the
addition on that side of the house.
It will be partially set back from the existing structure.
=
; Mr.
Sarandrea: There must have been a sale on gara=
ges.
=
; Mr.
Ottowitz: It’s tough in the Winter. The (inaudible) is built roughly a=
30 x
24 foot frame attached to the existing structure. We’re looking to try and kee=
p the
integrity of the design. The
intended addition would be kind of perpendicular to the existing
structure. Our primary concer=
n with
our neighbors would probably be privacy, so we’re not planning to hav=
e at
either level windows facing their property just to maintain the privacy.
&=
nbsp; Mr.
Sarandrea: Did you check =
with
sanitation? All set?
&=
nbsp; Mr.
Rafey: Yes. There is a permit from the Torring=
ton
Area Health District in your packet and it was approved. I went to the property today and t=
ook 2
pictures. This is a view from=
the
front of the property and this from the back. As you can see the house is 40 fee=
t from
the side property line. If th=
ey put
an addition on this side of the house, the new addition will be 10 feet form
the side property line. You c=
an see
all these trees and shrubs between the two properties. It’s not like very visible t=
o the
next door neighbors.
WATERTOWN
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
PUBLIC H=
EARING
APPLICAT=
ION
#797 – JAMES AND KIN OT=
TOITZ,
JR.
APRIL 27=
, 2005
Page 4
=
; Mr.
Sarandrea: Does anybody from the Board have any
questions?
&=
nbsp; Mr.
Mitchell: How far apart i=
s the
next house on the same side that you’re building?
&=
nbsp; Ms.
Ottowitz: We are to one s=
ide of
our property and they are to the far side of that property.
=
; Mr.
Ottowitz: Maybe 20, 25 feet. We both are kind of migrating towa=
rds
the property line.
&=
nbsp; Ms.
Ottowitz: We have about a=
n acre
lot, and we’re towards one side and they’re towards one side.
&=
nbsp; Mr.
Rafey: This is an R-30 Zo=
ne, at
least there has to be a minimum of 20 feet from the side property line, and=
if
they leave 10 feet, then the distance between the two houses will be 30 feet
minimum.
&=
nbsp; Mr.
Mitchell: Do you have the
letter from your neighbors?
=
; Mr.
Ottowitz: Not yet.
&=
nbsp; Mr.
Griffith: Have they expre=
ssed
any objection or approval?
=
; Ms. Ottowitz: <=
/b> Last Summer they talked with us abo=
ut how
happy they were with us improving the house, but they haven’t given us
anything one way or the other.
=
; Mr.
Ottowitz: Yea, we’ve given them a basic
description that we’re planning to add a garage, but we haven’t
gotten a specific on how close to the property line we’re going. (inaudible).
=
; Mr.
Rafey: We did send a notice to all the abu=
tting
property owners and invited them to come to this public hearing if they had=
any
concerns. You can see there i=
s a
list of the neighbors on the Application, that they received a notice of
tonight’s meeting.
&=
nbsp; Ms.
Ottowitz: Two of the prop=
erties
near us do not have any houses on them.&nb=
sp;
(Inaudible.)
&=
nbsp; Mr.
Sarandrea: Is there anyon=
e from
the Public who wishes to speak either For or Against this Application?
WATERTOWN
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
PUBLIC H=
EARING
APPLICAT=
ION
#797 – JAMES AND KIN OT=
TOITZ,
JR.
APRIL 27=
, 2005
Page 5
&=
nbsp; MOTION: (Mr.
Griffith, sec. Mr. Mitchell) to Close the Public Hearing for App. #797 of J=
ames
and Kim Ottowitz, Jr. request for a variance of 10 feet to a side yard prop=
erty
line setback to permit the construction of an addition at 1119 Bunker Hill
Road, Watertown, CT.
Public
Hearing Closed at about 8:17 p.m.
Respect=
fully
submitted,
Enrico
Sarandrea, Chairman
Zoning =
Board
of Appeals
&nbs=
p; _________________=
_________________
&nbs=
p; Lynn
M. LaForme, Minutes Secretary