Parakilas v. Enfield Planning Zoning, No. Cv92 051 26 05 (Apr. 6, 1993)

1993 Conn. Super. Ct. 3276
CourtConnecticut Superior Court
DecidedApril 6, 1993
DocketNo. CV92 051 26 05
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1993 Conn. Super. Ct. 3276 (Parakilas v. Enfield Planning Zoning, No. Cv92 051 26 05 (Apr. 6, 1993)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Parakilas v. Enfield Planning Zoning, No. Cv92 051 26 05 (Apr. 6, 1993), 1993 Conn. Super. Ct. 3276 (Colo. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This case is unpublished as indicated by the issuing court.] MEMORANDUM OF DECISION This is an appeal from the decision of the Enfield Planning and Zoning Commission (hereinafter the "Commission") granting an application for a special use permit for the operation of a baseball school on property known as 1320 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut. The subject real property, consisting of approximately two acres, is located in R-33 and HR-33 zones, both one family residence districts.1 Plaintiff's land, known as 8 Mitchell Drive, abuts the subject property.

A review of the record returned to court discloses the following facts. Prior to March 25, 1992, Mr. Cressotti forwarded to the Town Planner a letter of intent to establish a home occupation at 1320 Enfield Street, which use would "involve baseball instruction to the youth of Enfield." The letter recited the following:

"The number of youth being instructed at one time will not exceed 10, and will take place during the hours of 9 a.m. — 11 a.m.; 12 p.m. — 2 p.m.; and 5:30 p.m. — 7:30 p.m. for three weeks of the summer. CT Page 3277

"In addition to group instruction, individualized instruction would take place by the hour. The only noise factor involved would be a pitching machine, located within a batting cage causing no liability to surrounding properties."

The letter of intent was answered by the Zoning Enforcement Officer who expressed concerns about the proposed activity being conducted outside of the house and possibly generating objectionable noise;2 Mr. Cressotti was directed to apply for a determination by the Planning and Zoning Commission. On April 20, 1992, Mr. Cressotti filed an application for a special use permit with the Commission; this application stated that the special use permit was sought pursuant to Sections 9-1.2, 9-1.8, and 16-2.4 of the Ordinance and set forth the details of the proposed use in a manner substantially identical to those contained in the prior letter to the Town Planner.3

A public hearing on Mr. Cressotti's application was duly noticed for May 7, 1992 at 7:30 p.m. at the Enfield Town Hall.4 Prior thereto, on or about April 30, 1992, the Town Planner forwarded a memorandum regarding an Administrative Review Team meeting on May 5, 1992; in the detailed memorandum from the Town Planner, it was stated that certain types of special uses could be allowed by the Commission if they meet the standards of Section 16 of the Ordinance which pertain to such issues as traffic impact, compatibility (will not discourage appropriate use of adjacent land), and general harmony with the neighborhood. According to the memorandum, the applicant was required to provide the Commission with a projection of the amount of traffic expected to be generated by the proposed facility and a map showing the location of the proposed activities in relation to the boundaries of the subject property and to surrounding homes. It was stated therein that the Commission had authority to impose conditions designed to control the use such as limitations on the number of students, hours of operation, and specifications regarding the location of outside equipment and activities, as well as potential screening between equipment and the surrounding homes. At the May 5 meeting of the Administrative Review Team, a number of concerns were raised, including: the amount of drop-off traffic, the width of the driveway (particularly CT Page 3278 with respect to handling two-way traffic), and the possibility that traffic would back onto Route 5; it was observed that parking along the driveway would obstruct access by fire and emergency equipment to the house and, that there would exist the potential for the creation of nuisances which might injure and interfere with the enjoyment of neighboring properties. The ART commented that any approval of the application by the Commission should contain carefully worded conditions and, possibly, the permit should be issued for a duration of only one year to determine if any serious problems existed, with a requirement that Mr. Cressotti reapply the following year if he wished to continue the use.

The applicant submitted detailed documentation describing the particulars of the anticipated use, including descriptions of an intended batting cage and pitching machine. The public hearing before the Commission proceeded on May 7, 1992. Mr. Cressotti and a number of others testified; the plaintiff, Mrs. Parakilas, and several other participants voiced their objection to the application. Mr. Cressotti distributed a packet of descriptive materials to Commission members, repeated the dates and times that the proposed use would be operational, confirmed that the intended age levels of the students would range from nine to eighteen years, and identified the location of the batting enclosures, etc. in relation to abutting properties. The applicant projected that traffic would consist of a maximum of thirty cars per day for those weeks specifically designated for the camp, and [would] be less than that for the rest of the time"; he noted the great variety of sports and other activities which took place at the abutting Enfield Street School and, with respect to any inordinate noise, stated:

"The noise generated from the batting cage and pitching machine equipment, and instruction given in and around the area of the cage, should not be objectionable to anyone. The noise levels of the activities at [the] Enfield Street School . . . far surpass that of a maximum of the students [which] I plan to have at any one time."

Mr. Cressotti further stated that the machines are very quiet, and he testified that the proposed batting cage CT Page 3279 would be seventy feet long, fourteen feet wide and twelve feet high. The cage would be constructed of a steel frame with twine net, so that when the ball was hit, it would land inside the twine netting "offering no noise at all."

When inquired of regarding the overall duration of the school's activity, Mr. Cressotti indicated that it would not be operational on a year-round basis, but "would go from the end of June to the beginning of October."5 In response to the Chairman's question, the applicant stated the driveway into the property was twenty feet wide and that two cars, traveling in opposite directions, could not pass on the paved portion thereof: "one would have to back out or they would have to drive on the grass." Commissioner Lynch pointed out that based on applicant's projection of thirty cars per day, there would be one hundred-twenty trips in and out of the driveway ("somebody comes in and drops them off, goes home and comes back a couple of hours later — so between ingress and egress, you have 120 trips a day in and out of [the] driveway.").

Several members of the public, including plaintiff, addressed the Commission in opposition to the application. They expressed concerns regarding a devaluation of properties in the immediate area, the hazardous nature of the pitching machines due to speed and inaccuracy, the unsightly appearance of batting cages, traffic backing up to Route 5, and the creation of "a bottleneck" with respect to access for emergency vehicles. One opponent stated: "I think that my biggest objection in allowing this to happen [is that] it is changing the character of the residential neighborhood that it was always intended to be and [which we] are trying to preserve . . ."; another commented: ". . .

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Bluebook (online)
1993 Conn. Super. Ct. 3276, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parakilas-v-enfield-planning-zoning-no-cv92-051-26-05-apr-6-1993-connsuperct-1993.