The Tuesday, Nov. 10 hearing was for public comment on the proposed 2020 Plan of Conservation and Development, continued from Oct. 14. About 100 people showed up, mostly to express support for a growing movement to protect the summit of Cedar Mountain from development.
The hearing was held in the TPZ's usual meeting place - Conference Room 3 at Town Hall. However, the modest-sized room was able to accommodate fewer than half the crowd that showed up to speak, drawing angry comments about poor planning from members of the public.
Only a few people had a chance to speak, before Hall was forced to postpone the hearing to Monday, Nov. 23. She said she had tried to get the Town Council Chambers, the library or the senior center for the Nov. 10 hearing but was told they were not available.
The Town Council was meeting in the spacious Council Chambers that night for the swearing-in ceremony for its newly elected members. The council normally meets in the Helen W. Nelson Meeting Room, however that room was being used by the Board of Education that night. Further complicating matters was the fact that the TPZ normally meets on Wednesday nights but was forced to meet a day earlier due to the Veterans Day holiday.
Some people complained that the continued hearing date is on the week of Thanksgiving, when many people are away for the holiday. Hall noted that it's the next scheduled meeting date for the TPZ.
TPZ members Dominic Pane and Frank Aieta said afterwards that the hearing would have closed already if not for the growing public interest in Cedar Mountain. They said it should stay open until everyone has had a chance to speak.
"You can't have a meeting with 50 to 70 people in the hallway," Aieta said. "They couldn't even hear what was going on."
Toll Brothers had petitioned the TPZ for a zone change from commercial to residential on a 28.5-acre parcel on the north side of East Cedar Street. The developer had proposed a 113-unit housing development for the site, similar to the company's Newington Ridge development on the old Hartford Drive-in site on the Berlin Turnpike.
At the request of Mayor Jeffrey Wright, Toll Brothers withdrew the zone change petition after protests from residents who currently enjoy using that area on the mountain for hiking. However, the parcel is still currently zoned for development.
Town Council member Maureen Klett said she and others opposed to the development had handed out over 2,000 flyers in neighborhood close to Cedar Mountain in the previous week. She said she is still finding people who are not aware of the Toll Brothers proposal.