The fifth, Krikits, is an application for a special exception and 3.99-acre site development plan to create a garden center, including a 5,000-square-foot office and retail building accessed from Southford Road.

Burma Road, which runs to the rear, is zoned residential which brought out at least a dozen neighborhood homeowners.

The hearing was continued from the January meeting mostly in order to provide information about lighting and more precise descriptions of the planting proposed to buffer properties on Burma Road at the rear of the site.

Claiming that he was learning about the project for the first time, "No one knew about it," Burma Road resident Gary Diamond cross-examined Milone & MacBroom engineer Ted Crawford and architect Kevin Bennett about the blasting required to level the site where at present a 20-foot cliff will have to be demolished with an estimated 30,000 cubic yards of material to be removed.

"These are just some of our concerns," Mr. Diamond said, and went on to worry about whether dust from the blasting would contain dangerous compounds ("Will we have to wear masks in our houses?"); whether guarantees would be provided that the trees planted to provide screening would be properly maintained long term; whether traffic would be diverted from Route 67 to Burma Road; and how many truck loads would it take ("a thousand?") to remove the debris.

Fire Marshal Henry Stormer stepped up with assurances that none of the above would transpire. No processing would occur on the site; he was less concerned about over-use of Burma Road than about traffic backing up on Route 67; it was highly unlikely that wells would suffer from blasting; a pre-blast survey would be conducted and seismographic records created pre-blast.

The commission learned that low density downlights on 15-foot tall poles would be turned off at night and Commissioner Don Antilla confirmed that a lighting plan had been filed.

Sightlines had been approved by the state Department of Transportation.

Written health department approval is coming, so that being understood, Planning Administrator DeLoris Curtis will prepare the approval resolution for the March 17 meeting.

There remains a procedure before the Zoning Board of Appeals for a special exception regarding the setback from Southford Road after the site is reconfigured.

Hopefully, after that is granted, the applicant will return to Planning for the final approval.

Other Agenda Items Approved

Resubdivision of Lot 4C, Oscar Lovdal property was approved as substantially conforming to the town's subdivision regulations.

Located on the unimproved portion of Sanford Road, the 9.72-acre parcel is split into two lots. A 750-foot driveway connects the smaller parcel, 4.54 acres, to the road. A house already exists on the larger parcel, 5.18 acres.

"Daffodil Hill Farm," a commercial nursery and farm stand, was approved at Horse Fence Hill Road on a 17-acre property owned by David and Kathleen Blersch and Faith B. Kuehn, where a wholesale greenhouse business has operated for several years.

The owners are now proposing to sell directly to the public and the commission approved use of 60,000 square feet of the property for sales from April to December.

Sarah Blersch, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Blersch, and her husband now plan to sell a variety of the farm produce directly to the public. Ms. Blersch is the manager of the town of Southbury's Farmers Market which runs July-October.

Finally, after a very long process, veterinarian Lawrence Pezzullo secured the zone change that allows him to move his practice from Southbury Green to Across from the Green which is, well, across from the Green on Main Street South.

Under existing regulations that use was not permitted.

Boarding or grooming will not be a feature of the practice, Dr. Pezzullo assured the commission. The office will be open six days a week, 8 a.m. to 5 or 7 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

The last item in one of the more contentious applications in recent memory, The Fairways, went out quietly as the temporary soil extraction permit was approved.

Fourteen units in a condominium adjoining Heritage Village Golf Club were approved by the Planning Commission in 2006, but Inland Wetlands denied the application twice, until a lawsuit was resolved in favor of the applicant and Wetlands then voted to approve the project and also an application to extract 3,500 yards of excess material.

Planning added its approval with conditions including requirement for a certificate of insurance of $300,000 for personal injury and $50,000 for property damage, as well as a bond, a portion in cash, to ensure that the work conforms to the provisions of the zoning regulations.