Thursday, August 1, 2019
www.berlincitizen.com
Volume 22, Number 24
Plan calls for 72 homes along Berlin Turnpike By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
The town has received its first application for mixed use development on the Berlin Turnpike under a recently adopted commercial/ residential zone. Applicant John Orsini’s plan would demolish the building that is currently home to Berlin Pizza and a cigar store and replace it with an 18,000 square foot commercial
building and 72 two-bedroom homes with detached garages. The plan also calls for a clubhouse. The building at 196 Berlin Turnpike is across from Home Depot. A public hearing on the plan is is scheduled for today, Thursday Aug. 1. Attorney Dennis Ceneviva, who represents the applicant, said the new Berlin Turnpike Development Zone encourages new construc-
tion by allowing developers Berlin Turnpike. to locate potential customers The zone change idea was next to businesses. originally brought before the “I think many towns are rePlanning and Zoning Comalizing it’s becoming difficult mission by Peter D’Addeo, a Rocky Hill realtor who is to develop sites on a purely seeking to build 200 apartretail basis,” he said. ments in a mixed use develTo qualify for the new zone, opment to the south of the a property must be at least Blue Lobster eatery on the 10 acres in one of the three Berlin Turnpike. He has not existing commercial zones yet submitted an application along the Berlin Turnpike. for a zone change or a site Residential development plan. must be 240 feet from the
Economic Development Director Chris Edge said allowing residential/commercial developments fits the new marketplace. “If it’s just a commercial development, the financing is very difficult,” he said. Adding more lower-cost housing also supports local businesses, Edge said, by providing homes for young professionals. See Turnpike, A12
Town looks to remove tree stumps By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
The Town Council is working on a loose plan to address numerous stumps on town right-of-ways, particularly those in the Worthington Ridge historic district.
Numerous tree stumps line Worthington Ridge, which residents say was known for its canopy. Power utility company Eversource said regular cullings are needed to prevent damage to power lines. Devin Leith-Yessian, The Citizen
During the public hearing at the start of the July 23 council meeting, Arthur Powers, former mayor and a Worthington Ridge resident, said recent tree felling has left the banks of the road littered with stumps and degraded the tree canopy which once blocked all sight of the sun from the roadside.
"If we had a three-year program, it would not be a burden on the budget in the town. I think it would be a good idea and get all of those stumps out of the way and then have a horticulturalist tell us what kinds of trees we should plant in their place," he said.
ery year and remove stumps in conjunction with regular roadwork.
The council did not take action July 23 and tasked Public Works Director Mike Ahern with gathering more information and narrowing down a list of hundreds of stumps in town.
The obstacles include how to determine which stumps to remove, including if Worthington Ridge should receive priority given its designation on the National Register of Historic Places, how much to allocate towards removal and whether to pur-
Deputy Mayor Brenden Luddy said he’d like to see the council set money aside ev-
"I have to agree with some of the comments made by Mr. Powers. You know, you see some of these trees and they look like apple cores that somebody bit into," he said.
See Stumps, A13
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