P&Z Considers Family Camps, Vehicle Storage and Blight Ordinance

By Avice Meehan

Members of the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) said they would review the definition of family camps—seasonal compounds that have long been part of Norfolk life—following an extended discussion at the Aug. 12 meeting about proposed improvements to one such camp on Mountain Road.

Architect Kate Briggs Johnson, representing Daniel and Leila Javitch, shared plans for the so-called “lower house” on the nearly 132-acre property at 292 Mountain Road. The camp has been in existence since 1938. It encompasses a main house with a kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms and two smaller houses with bathrooms but no kitchens and a two-car garage.

Johnson said the family wishes to demolish the “lower house,” which is in poor condition, and replace it with a slightly larger structure that includes a small furnace in the basement to keep waterlines from freezing. It would not have a kitchen but would include a bathroom and woodstove.

The discussion revolved around the definition of a stand-alone dwelling and whether the project required a special permit from P&Z or simply a zoning permit that could be issued by Zoning Enforcement Officer Stacey Sefcik. Johnson said the building should be considered a detached sleeping unit and not an independent dwelling. “There are a lot of situations like this in town,” she said, describing it as an accessory, customary use structure.

Sefcik said she wanted to bring the matter before P&Z because she was unsure about how to navigate the permit request. “Sometimes it is the camel’s nose under the tent,” she said, adding that a property owner might later add a kitchen and place the property in violation of the zoning regulations.

Commissioner Jordan Stern spoke for the majority in saying that he felt “comfortable” letting the Mountain Road project proceed while P&Z worked to clarify the definition of a family camp and consider amendments to the regulations. For her part, Johnson initialed the zoning permit to indicate that no kitchen was planned and filed the application. P&Z will consider the definition of family camps at a future meeting.

In other matters, Sefcik reported that zoning permits had been issued for an addition to a home at 139 Goshen East Street and for a new, single-family home at 7 Haystack Woods Road. The latter project is one of 10 affordable homes being built in Litchfield County under the auspices of the Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity and will be immediately adjacent to the Haystack Woods affordable community being developed by the Foundation for Norfolk Living.

The storage of cars, trucks, recreational vehicles and boats was next on the P&Z agenda.
Sefcik reviewed three complaints she received regarding an excessive number of vehicles being stored at 21 Shepard Road, 67 Shepard Road and 444 Greenwoods Road West. She also investigated a complaint from an unnamed P&Z member about construction materials stored by Aquarion at the Norfolk Firehouse at 20 Shepard Road.

George Auclair, who owns and operates George’s Norfolk Garage, received approval in 2022 to construct a building across the road from the garage at 330 Greenwoods Road East for the storage of tow trucks and other vehicles. Sefcik said she inspected the site after several commission members raised questions about the presence of a Family Dollar tractor trailer and other vehicles parked outside the building, as well as excavation on the property. Others expressed concern about vehicles parked along the road.
Although one commission member described the structure as “George’s man cave,” several expressed concerns about the activities being undertaken on the property and the fact that “there is not a ton of information in the decision.” Sefcik said she would send an enforcement letter once she had completed additional research. When asked for comment, Auclair said that no one had spoken with him regarding activities at the site.

The state of the properties on Shepard Road and the related parcel on Greenwood Roads West revived discussion of a blight ordinance for Norfolk. Chair Chris Schaut said the commission could circulate ideas for consideration by the Board of Selectmen. “For someone in my role, the most intractable issues tend to be the junk issues,” said Sefcik, noting that there are 21 unregistered vehicles on one property, inoperable boats and “junk” on another and multiple recreational vehicles on another.

In a follow-up email, Sefcik said a blight ordinance would function alongside the town’s zoning regulations. “Our goal would be a draft that is specific to Norfolk’s needs,” she said. “We’d want to make sure what we put forward addresses what Norfolk residents feel is important, while avoiding unnecessary regulations on issues that don’t pertain.”

The Aquarion activity, which will soon shift to Sunset Ridge Road, involved replacement of water lines in the vicinity of Shepard Road. The complaint focused on the fact that materials were being stored within 100 feet of City Meadow and the 6:30 a.m. construction start. Aquarion shifted the start time to 8 a.m.

Other enforcement activities included a complaint about unpermitted filling work in a regulated wetlands and outbuildings without permits at 177 Estey Road. The property owner has since provided a wetlands soil survey and survey of the property. He has informed the town that some sheds will be removed; permits will be sought for others.

Erosion controls have been installed at 241 Winchester Road in response to concerns raised by Sefcik related to construction of a new driveway. The property owners have also filed an application with the Inland Wetlands Agency.

P&Z went into two separate executive sessions to discuss pending legal matters. These include the May 27 lawsuit filed by residents of Maple Avenue in response to P&Z’s decision to approve an expansion of the Manor House. The commission also discussed the ongoing zoning enforcement action involving 24 and 32 Greenwoods Road West. Fines of $150 per day have been accruing since 2023. Sefcik said no decisions were made during the executive sessions