Clinton adopts new stormwater zoning rules

Planning and Zoning · Meeting of May 12, 2026

Clinton's Planning and Zoning Commission adopted a new stormwater management section of its zoning code and let a stalled self-storage project refile rather than face denial. Commissioners voted unanimously to add Section 36, Storm Water Management, to the zoning regulations after a public hearing in which one resident urged a tailored approach instead of adopting the state's manual outright. Town Engineer Chuck Eaton told commissioners he could not yet sign off on drainage calculations for a proposed self-storage and warehouse complex at 335 East Main Street, saying "I don't think that we've had enough time to fully go through the plans." Rather than deny the application, the board voted to let owner Joe Barick withdraw and immediately refile, waiving the town's fee but not the state's $60 charge.

The commission also directed staff to push for tiered affordability and a drive-through ban in state-mandated middle housing rules due by a June 22 hearing.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 987 words

Source: the Planning and Zoning meeting of May 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

CLINTON — May 12, 2026 — The Clinton Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a new stormwater management section of the town's zoning regulations, codifying standards the town has followed informally for years under its state stormwater discharge permit.

The vote followed a public hearing in which one commenter urged the commission to tailor the state's model regulations rather than adopt them outright. Commissioners also resolved a long-delayed special exception application for a self-storage and warehouse complex at 335 East Main Street, agreeing to let the applicant withdraw and immediately refile rather than risk a denial over unresolved stormwater calculations.

The Full Story

Chairman Michael Rossi opened the meeting with a reminder that the commission has tentatively scheduled a special meeting for June 22 to address zoning changes required by a state housing law, and that the town will miss the law's July 1 compliance deadline but expects to be close once an appeal period is factored in. The commission approved the April 13, 2026 minutes, then received three applications without testimony: PZC26-9, a special exception for a supermarket at 224 East Main Street; PZC26-10, a coastal site plan review for the same address; and PZC26-11, a special exception for a rear-lot split at 75 East Main Street tied to a land transfer involving the former Pearson School. A town staff member told the commission that project will let the town retain a green and gazebo area while transferring a rear parcel, including parking, to a developer under a planned lease-back arrangement for the senior center. The first and third items were scheduled for public hearing June 8.

The commission then closed the long-running public hearing on PZC25-22, a special exception for a self-storage and warehouse facility at 335 East Main Street, after reaching its statutory limit on continuances. Robert Graick, representing applicant Joe Barick, told the commission the project met zoning requirements but had been held up by stormwater peak-discharge calculations. Town Engineer Chuck Eaton said he was not yet comfortable signing off.

"I don't think that we've had enough time to fully go through the plans with all the different revisions, and to fully be able to evaluate everything," — Chuck Eaton, town engineer.

Rather than approve or deny the application outright, commissioners voted to let Barick withdraw and immediately reapply, which would allow a new public hearing to open at the June meeting while the applicant and town engineer continue working out the calculations. The commission waived its own application fee for the refiling but not the state's $60 fee.

"We always go by Chuck. We don't even check. But when he says we're this close, it could be just a calculation," — Eddie Alberino, commission member.

The commission then held a separate public hearing on PZC26-7, a text amendment adding a new Section 36, Storm Water Management, to the zoning regulations. A staff member identified in the meeting only as Abby told commissioners the amendment codifies requirements the town already must meet under its federal and state stormwater permit, known as MS4, and brings scattered existing rules into one place.

"To protect the waters of Long Island Sound, because that's essentially what we're trying to accomplish here," — Abby, town staff member.

One resident who described himself as a stormwater permitting consultant urged the commission to adapt the state's manual to local conditions, as he said the town of Greenwich has done, rather than adopt it wholesale. After closing the hearing, the commission voted to adopt the amendment, citing findings of consistency with the town's 2025 Plan of Conservation and Development, the state Coastal Management Act and Connecticut General Statutes 8-2 and 8-7d.

In old business, Rossi and staff reported on ongoing work with consulting firm IMAG to draft "middle housing" and parking amendments required under a state law. The commission directed staff to tell the consultants it wants a tiered affordability requirement, mixed-use-only development in business districts, flexibility for first-floor residential units behind street-facing commercial space, and a prohibition on drive-through facilities. Commissioners voted to accept that direction as talking points ahead of a meeting with consultants Wednesday morning.

Why It Matters

The newly adopted Section 36 sets binding design and reporting standards for stormwater runoff on any new development or redevelopment, giving the town engineer explicit authority to require peak-discharge controls that previously existed only informally. That standard is already holding up the 335 East Main Street storage project, whose owner now must refile and resolve drainage calculations before a new public hearing. Separately, the commission is racing to finish middle-housing and parking zoning changes mandated by state law before a June 22 public hearing, with the appeal period pushing compliance to around July 9, past the law's official July 1 deadline.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approve April 13, 2026 meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Receive PZC26-9, special exception for a supermarket at 224 East Main Street, and schedule public hearing for June 8 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Receive PZC26-10, coastal site plan review for 224 East Main Street Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Receive PZC26-11, special exception for a rear-lot split at 75 East Main Street, and schedule public hearing for June 8 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Close public hearing on PZC25-22, special exception for storage facility at 335 East Main Street Tally: Approved unanimously - Action: Allow applicant to withdraw and immediately refile PZC25-22, waiving the town's application fee — Continued to the commission's June 8, 2026 meeting - Vote: Close public hearing on PZC26-7, stormwater zoning text amendment Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Adopt Section 36, Storm Water Management, zoning text amendment (PZC26-7) Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Accept staff summary as negotiating points for state-mandated middle housing and parking amendments Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Adjourn meeting Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Clinton CT Planning: Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, May 12, 2026