Winchester ZBA approves shed variance at Torranceford Street, pending wetlands review
June 24, 2025 | Winchester Town, Litchfield County, Connecticut
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The Winchester Zoning Board of Appeals on June 24, 2025, approved a variance for a 20-by-16-foot accessory building with a 20-by-8-foot lean-to at the property identified in the application as 2224 Torranceford Street in Winchester. The board’s approval is conditioned on inland-wetlands agent approval.
Owner and applicant Kevin Teeling told the board the existing shed (about 8-by-12 feet) sits on a portion of his lot with steep topography; he described a narrower, leveled area where accessory structures have historically stood and said moving the shed to another part of the property would require substantial fill and might encroach on a small, existing pond-like feature. Teeling said the replacement structure will be used as a wood shop and that he plans to use on-site timber where possible.
The application packet and the chair’s reading stated the proposed front-yard setback would be 33.7 feet. Teeling told the board he had sought review and that planning/building staff had examined the plan; the board required written clearance or an agent determination from the inland-wetlands agent before the permit is finalized. The board discussed placement, drainage risk near the pond, and the option of a gravel pad or sonotube foundations; the building official will determine foundation requirements at permitting.
The chair read a motion to grant the variance per section 3 d 5 c of the zoning regulations for ZBA 25-7; the motion was seconded and carried with all members voting in favor. The approval was explicitly made conditional on inland-wetlands agent approval or a determination by the town’s wetlands agent.
No members of the public spoke against the application at the meeting, and the applicant said neighborhood confusion about an unrelated historical foundation had been resolved.
The board did not set a further deadline in the motion; staff will follow up with the applicant on the wetlands determination before building permits are issued.
Owner and applicant Kevin Teeling told the board the existing shed (about 8-by-12 feet) sits on a portion of his lot with steep topography; he described a narrower, leveled area where accessory structures have historically stood and said moving the shed to another part of the property would require substantial fill and might encroach on a small, existing pond-like feature. Teeling said the replacement structure will be used as a wood shop and that he plans to use on-site timber where possible.
The application packet and the chair’s reading stated the proposed front-yard setback would be 33.7 feet. Teeling told the board he had sought review and that planning/building staff had examined the plan; the board required written clearance or an agent determination from the inland-wetlands agent before the permit is finalized. The board discussed placement, drainage risk near the pond, and the option of a gravel pad or sonotube foundations; the building official will determine foundation requirements at permitting.
The chair read a motion to grant the variance per section 3 d 5 c of the zoning regulations for ZBA 25-7; the motion was seconded and carried with all members voting in favor. The approval was explicitly made conditional on inland-wetlands agent approval or a determination by the town’s wetlands agent.
No members of the public spoke against the application at the meeting, and the applicant said neighborhood confusion about an unrelated historical foundation had been resolved.
The board did not set a further deadline in the motion; staff will follow up with the applicant on the wetlands determination before building permits are issued.
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