Home Care In Essex, CT

ESSEX — Resistance to a town-proposed zoning district that would permit mixed-use development is growing, marked by signs along Route 153 near Bokum Center and a sizable crowd opposing the application during a Tuesday Planning and Zoning hearing.

The proposed district, called a “node,” would cover about 70 properties along Route 153 that was delineated as “Bokum Center Development District” in the town’s 2015 Plan of Conservation and Development, or POCD, a planning document that towns are required to update every 10 years.

At the hearing, town planning and zoning consultant John Guszkowski said the POCD identified five development nodes that included three village centers — Essex, Centerbrook and Ivoryton — as well as the Route 9 Gateway, which was approved in 2021, and Bokum Center.

“This text amendment is … basically what we would call enabling legislation. It creates the potential for opportunity to develop properties in the immediate proximity of Bokum Corner, which again is the corner of Bokum Road, Plains Road, and Westbrook Road, 153 and 604, which is an established commercial, business and employment center,” he said. “It creates the opportunity for developers to come up with creative proposals for new developments there, whether it’s multifamily development, whether it’s commercial, retail, entertainment, athletic, or some mix of any of those things.”

Currently, there are five different zoning districts within a 200-foot radius of where Bokum, Westbrook and Plains roads meet, each with their own set of rules and uses. The regulation change, Guszkowski said, would create a unified development approach.

He said property owners could suggest ideas exceeding the underlying zone’s limits and, if approved, they could proceed to apply for a special permit for the project.

“This process would allow the commission to consider whether the proposal was in the best interest of the town, whether it would bring positive and vibrant development to the community, and not detract from the community’s public health, safety and welfare,” he said.

The text amendment, he argued, would grant the commission “an unbelievable amount of latitude and oversight” to review, reject, change or approve the proposal, and that there would be no fewer than two additional public hearings for each proposal.

But hearing attendees called the text amendment “unconstitutional” and encouraged caution.

Resident Greg Ellis noted that the area around Bokum Center sits on an aquifer and has sanitation issues due to a thick layer of clay running under many of the properties.

“The point is the cart is before the horse without the town doing a hydrology study of the area with concerns about water, the aquifer and the ability of higher density being able to handle sanitation,” Ellis said.

Guszkowski responded that high groundwater and aquifer issues are known in the area but are not reasons enough to halt proceeding with the zoning proposal, since any project would need to conform to public health and safety regulations concerning wastewater, stormwater and the aquifer.

But Ellis said caution was warranted, arguing that the town was “backhandedly” encouraging developers to prove there’s no high water or aquifer problems in areas already known to have issues that preclude high-density development.

Guszkowski, however, argued that the town was encouraging developers to present their ideas if they believe they can overcome inherent natural challenges on a particular property.

Robert Vitari, who owns several properties in the proposed district, called the text amendment an “unconstitutional power grab” tailored to one underdeveloped property at 125 Westbrook Road, known as Bokum Center, which sold on Dec. 5 for $1.87 million.

“What a coincidence. And then less than 30 days later, again organically, right out of the sky falls this brand new thing called a node that is a dream come true to any new owner of a freshly purchased investment. The new owner must be either omniscient or really lucky to have this kind of hidden text silently in the pipeline,” he said.

Vitari maintained that the process paralleled a previous text amendment proposed by Greylock Properties last year, claiming that the town was “colluding secretly with one developer behind closed doors.”

Resident Alan Field told the commission that the amendment was providing inappropriate opportunities for high-density development which would also not meet the town’s housing needs.

Carey Duques, Essex’s land use official, said the town’s proposal for a zoning text amendment was partly the outcome of a similar but rejected amendment proposed by a developer to change a rural residential district in a different area.

“The Planning and Zoning Commission at the time looked at it seriously, held many public hearings and decided that they would like to actually craft their own text amendment. … This is not something that they just did overnight, or over the past few months; this is something that’s been in the works for several years,” she said.

The commission continued the public hearing to April.

Cate Hewitt is a reporter and Deputy Editor for CT Examiner. Hewitt covers planning and zoning issues.

cate.hewitt@ctexaminer.com

ESSEX – The Planning and Zoning Commission overwhelmingly rejected a developer’s proposal to allow multifamily housing on several properties in Essex’s main residential zone, saying they want to be the ones driving efforts to diversify housing in town.

Aiming to build a partially ”affordable” townhouse complex off Saybrook Road, Greylock Properties petitioned the commission to change the regulations in the Rural Residence District – which covers most of Essex – to allow multifamily housing on certain properties. The rules would have applied to three buildable properties in town.

But after two unusually packed public hearings where residents pleaded to preserve the character of the town’s single-family neighborhoods, the commission voted 6-1 to reject Greylock’s proposal.

Commissioner Mark Reeves said the proposal was a major change to how housing could be built in Essex, noting that the new regulations would apply to about 131 acres. Under the current regulations, about 65 homes could be built on that amount of land, he said, while the new rules would have allowed up to 262 units. Most of those properties would empty onto Main Street in the Centerbrook neighborhood.

“This is more than just a text amendment that’s going to impact people in a minor way and they can go about their business without any problems,” Reeves said.

Reeves said they want to make it possible for young people and those without high incomes to buy homes in the area, but argued that the 20 percent of units designated “affordable” under the proposed regulation is actually more “moderate income” housing.

He suggested the commission draft its own regulations to promote multifamily housing in a way that fits what locals want: To keep Essex a small town.

“Right now, we are responding to an application from a developer, and it is an application for a text amendment that covers multiple properties,” Reeves said. “The truth is, that amendment is written for his purposes, not for our purposes.”

Commissioner David Rosengren was the single vote against rejecting the application, asking the group, “If not now, when?”

“We live in an aging community. We also live in a very high-income community,” Rosengren said. “It’s basically a retirement community, and if we don’t start changing that, if we don’t start adding opportunities for younger people with less opportunity to get into this community, [Essex] will essentially die. You can’t stand still.”

“Save Rural Essex” became the rallying call for residents opposed to Greylock’s proposal, with yellow lawn signs lining roads around town to show opposition. But Rosengren said Essex isn’t rural, it’s already a dense community.

Essex land use official Carey Duques said Greylock’s project wouldn’t lead to a major increase in housing density because a majority of homes are built on lots smaller than current regulations allow.

The single-family zone covering most of the town now requires 1.8 acres per home, but that was a change made around 2000. Before that, the town allowed smaller lots, which is why about 65 percent of homes are on “nonconforming” smaller lots, Duques said.

Commission Chair Russell Smith said he was on the Planning Commission when it raised the lot size to 1.8 acres. At the time, he said he was concerned about too much density, and raising the minimum lot size was meant to slow that down. He said he still has the same concerns.

“I’m in favor of just making sure that we adhere to 2-acre zoning and rural residential,” Smith said.

Commissioner Bob Day said the Essex’s Plan of Conservation and Development calls for more diverse and lower-cost housing, but that those efforts should be directed toward town centers.

After rejecting Greylock’s application, the commissioners voted 6-1 to create a subcommittee to explore how the commission could write its own affordable housing regulations. Rosengren, again, was the lone vote against the action.

“If we don’t do it now, when are we going to do this?” Rosengren reiterated. “My suggestion is, we’re not. Because what happens when you go for more discussions? Everything dies in committees.”

Brendan Crowley covers energy and the environment for CT Examiner. T: 860 598-0050

b.crowley@ctexaminer.com

Essex was in the national spotlight on Tuesday as The Today Show visited as part of its "Merriest Main Streets" holiday series.

It was a joyful morning in Ivoryton as dozens of people packed onto the patio of the Ivoryton Playhouse to show the country what makes this little town so magical during the holidays.

Here they have the Ivoryton Illuminations that come to life the first Saturday in December and continue every night of the month.

The lights are all set up by a team of volunteers.

“We set up all the lights, we put them on the trees, it’s really wonderful. We all get together and have a great time while helping the community," said Corina Pagliuco, of Essex.

The Illuminations began 14 years ago thanks to Chris Shane.

“I've always loved Christmas light all of my life, just my thing. And I overtime you tend to accumulate. And by the time my daughter was 18, I was up to 50,000 of them at my house. Unfortunately, 18-year-old girls can be a bit hysterical. And to make a long story short, she never be so grossed out and embarrassed in her life. And it was basically her or the lights," said Ivoryton Village Alliance President Chris Shane.

Shane said he called his good friend at The Playhouse and together they decided to put them on display for the whole town to enjoy at The Green.

“Downtown Essex is historic and beautiful, and has the quintessential New England look, Ivoryton didn't have anything at Christmas. So, we decided we were going to just have a Christmas Extravaganza," said Ivoryton Playhouse Executive Artistic Director Jacqueline Hubbard.

It's continued to grow over the years to at one point, half a million lights with as many as 2,000 people on opening night.

The lights are just one piece of the magic that locals say draws people in for the holidays.

As you drive through downtown Essex, you will see a beautiful and historic place filled with local shops. Your journey ends at the Connecticut River Museum next to the river. Up on their third floor is a train show that is now in its 30th year.

"Steve Kryon has been bringing his amazing collection of trains to our third floor during the holiday season. And it has really become a holiday tradition. They are wonderful for kids of all ages. And they're great fun to see and really you know, when you think about Christmas time and trains around the Christmas tree, this is that but so much bigger and so much better," said Connecticut River Museum Executive Director Elizabeth Kaeser.

The Essex Steam Train's North Pole Express is also a huge attraction for tourists who want to journey back in time to the North Pole to see Santa. Every year, tickets sell out in a matter of hours.

“A very magical train ride to the North Pole. And we have special guests in each car that are the hosts along the way. There's a lot of music, a lot of dancing games, and it's just really interactive family time," said Essex Steam Train President Kevin Dodd.

People in Ivoryton said they always knew their town was special, but it's exciting for the country to know as well.

“I think this is wonderful. I think it’s so cool how a tiny little town like Ivoryton and Essex, like this is amazing. We’re able to get on national television," said Pagliuco.

“It’s very energized and it’s awesome to be a part of it and great to see the families coming out," added Josh Painter, of Essex.

Several months before the restaurant's 10-year anniversary, the owner of Sayulitain Glastonbury is planning to open its second location near Connecticut's shoreline.

Staff members of the restaurant, which serves Mexican-inspired cuisine, announced on Facebook Thursday that Sayulita is coming to Essex and is hiring for open positions.

The eatery is set to open its Essex location around late April on 30 Main St. in the Centerbrook section of town, Sayulita manager Haley Foster said Sunday. Sayulita's current owner, William Driggs — who also owns 2 Hopewell Bistro and Tavern in Glastonbury — will run the new location with Sayulita managers, Joshua Packtor and Brian Williams, she said. Packtor will be a co-owner of the Essex restaurant and Williams will serve as beverage director for both locations, she said.

"Josh and Brian specifically has a lot of friends that are on the coast, and they've always kind of said that they really wanted something like Sayulita along the shoreline," Foster said. "And once everything here in Glastonbury started flowing a bit more smoothly, it seemed like it could be an option."

Foster said the location on 30 Main St. also matched the "very local and very homey" feel of Sayulita's quaint blue location on 865 Main St. in South Glastonbury.

According to the Essex Economic Development Commission, Sayulita will open in the former site of Los Charros Cantina, which closed in February 2023 and reopened in Branford last May.

Foster said late April is the restaurant's tentative opening date, as the restaurant has experienced unanticipated delays during its preparation.

“We're just making sure all the puzzle pieces are fitting properly before we really decide when they were going to be opening it," she said.

Sayulita first opened in South Glastonbury in November 2014, Foster said.

In its beginning years, Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen" alumnus Van Hurd served as the main chef, according to The New York Times. The restaurant was named after a village near Puerto Vallarta, according to the article.

Foster said the Essex location will offer the same menu items as the South Glastonbury location, which has guacamole with shaved cotija cheese and pumpkin seeds and ceviche filled with diced scallops, onions, tomato and jicama, topped with mango, avocado and fried plantains. Its menu also includes quesadilla with braised short rib, lobster and mushroom enchiladas, cornmeal crusted chile relleno, oaxaca mole enmoladas, as well as burritos, fajitas and tamales.

Among its taco options are a lobster taco with black truffles and a carne asada taco with chipotle barbecue sauce, caramelized onions and candied jalapeño. Connecticut Magazine's panel of experts voted Sayulita as one of the state's top taco spots for 2024.

The drink menu has a wide array of margaritas, cocktails and wines.

Last month, the restaurant started serving Cantina Azul Tequila. The brand was created by Williams, who serves as a bartender and manager at Sayulita's Glastonbury location. Williams said the drink is offered in 20 restaurants and 12 retail places, and he hopes to keep expanding the company.

The restaurant is hiring for its Essex location and applications are available at its South Glasonbury location, according to its Facebook post.

Foster said she and the rest of the staff at Sayulita are excited about the prospect of having multiple locations.

"It's definitely a dream that every restaurant has, and it's really cool being able to see ours become a reality," she said.

The riverside town of Essex has made Country Living's 2023 list of the "The 30 Most Magical Christmas Towns in the U.S."

The North Pole Express at the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat, Holiday Train Show at the Connecticut River Museum, Ivoryton Illuminations and Griswold Inn were named by Country Living as some of the attractions that make Essex a destination to visit during the holiday season.

The town of Essex, complete with its Christmas charm, has also been the filming location for recent Hallmark movies. The 2018 Hallmark movie, “Christmas at Pemberley Manor," heavily featured the aforementioned Griswold Inn while 2021's "Next Stop, Christmas" used the Essex Steam Train for its time travel plot. Portions of Essex could also be seen in last year's Netflix holiday movie, "The Noel Diary."

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“I think the neighborhoods and the feeling of family really worked for this movie,” "The Noel Diary" director Charles Shyer told Hearst Connecticut last year. “I thought the experience was lovely. The people were great. The food was great.”

Other Northeast locations that made Country Living's picks include Woodstock, Vermont; Stockbridge, Massachusetts; Cape Cod and New York City.