MONROE, CT — Neighbors of the SPCA of Connecticut Animal Shelter railed against the facility at 359 Spring Hill Road when it first opened in the early 2000s, but the dog kennels were a grandfathered use. The owner, Frederick Acker, fought with town officials over the number of dogs allowed on the property over the years and, due to financial woes, the shelter closed down for good last year.
Now the current owner is proposing a four-lot-subdivision on the 4.4 acre property to make way for the construction of four colonial-style houses in a development called Spring Hill Estates.
Chris Pawlowski, project manager for Civil 1 Civil Engineers, discussed the plan at the Planning and Zoning Commission’s meeting Thursday night.
Pawlowski said the owner, John Paul Development LLC, originally wanted to build an age restricted residential (ARR) development, but too many changes would be needed to comply with town regulations.
“This parcel doesn’t have a good spot for open space,” Pawlowski said. “It’s not connected to any open space tracts. We can get an appraiser, so we can pay a fee in lieu of open space to the town. We will have the amount calculated for you.”
He said only 0.4 acres could be given to the town for open space, adding there would be no public access to it.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Kathleen Gallagher told commissioners a payment in lieu of open space must be jointly approved by the applicant and the commission, which would review the appraiser’s credentials and members could call it to a public hearing if they choose to.
The SPCA left behind a dilapidated white house, kennels, fences, a garage and other outbuildings, which will all be removed, according to Pawlowski.
All four residential lots will be served by public water and have private onsite septic systems. Pawlowski said testing was done with the Monroe Health Department, which determined there are suitable soils on the site.
The developer will go through Planning and Zoning and the Monroe Health Department with a more detailed plan.
Commissioner Robert Westlund expressed his preference for something other than a four-lot-subdivision, such as an ARR, but noted how the property does not meet the lot size and other requirements for the zone.
Chairman Michael O’Reilly said the commission will continue the hearing to Aug. 1.
SPCA closes
Last year, a spokesperson of the animal rescue issued a press release announcing its facility at 359 Spring Hill Road was closing on May 6, 2023 due to the foreclosure of its property. At the time, the shelter had around 20 dogs and 13 cats, which members and volunteers were trying to find homes for.
The animal rescue, which is no relation to the national SPCA, was started by Frederick Acker.
Acker, who had many strong supporters, was later convicted on 11 counts of Animal Cruelty in Milford in 2016 in a ruling barring him from owning animals or from working with animal rescue groups. He was sentenced to one year in prison.
Susan Fernandez became director and the organization and continued to move the no-kill animal shelter forward, until the organization could no longer keep its property.
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