Middlebury planners review broad rewrite of zoning regulations, set follow-ups

Terry Smith, chairman of the Middlebury Planning & Zoning Commission, opened a Feb. 21 workshop to review a draft rewrite of the town's zoning regulations covering Articles 1 through 6.

Town Planner Hiram Pezk told commissioners the draft would be simplified by combining Articles Four and Five and by folding Section 12 a–d (Planned Residential Development provisions) back into Article Four. Pezk said the commission "needed to start thinking about where to put different types of housing" in town and that he is assembling definitions and materials related to Public Act 25-1 and state housing obligations (including citations to section 8-37t).

The commission and Town Attorney Dana D'Angelo agreed Article Five appears redundant; D'Angelo noted nothing in Article Five was substantively new. Members directed Pezk to prepare a revised draft that: consolidates redundant text, reconsiders which PRD elements belong in the Regulations versus an appendix, and clarifies minimum acreage and overlay language discussed for Lake Quassapaug and Tyler's Cove.

Commissioners asked staff to return with specific placement proposals for housing types, clearer diagrams for height and coverage rules, and a marked-up draft that reconciles the town's ordinance language on short-term rentals and related uses. No formal votes were taken; the session was a working workshop and commissioners set follow-up staff work and another review session.