Madison Planning and Zoning Approves Four Coastal and Land-Use Applications at May Meeting

Planning and Zoning · Meeting of May 21, 2026

CT MADISON — Madison Planning and Zoning approves four residential and land-use applications at May 21 session. The commission, chaired by Carol Silver, unanimously approved coastal site plan reviews for a waterfront house demolition-and-rebuild at 61 Middle Beach Road West and a small infill addition at 22 Flower Avenue — both processed under new mandatory state DEEP referral requirements that took effect last fall — along with a lot line revision between 166 Bishop Lane and 7 Saxon Road and a site plan modification for a 17-by-17.5-foot four-season addition at 4 Longview Terrace. A coastal site plan for the town-owned Garnet Park Road bridge replacement over Bailey Creek was tabled to July 9 pending state permit feedback, with staff noting the commission's 65-day decision clock makes that meeting effectively the outer deadline.

Commission member Andy Ruben's resignation was formally noted in the amended May 7 minutes.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,174 words

Source: the Planning and Zoning meeting of May 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

MADISON — May 21, 2026 — The Madison Planning and Zoning Commission approved four pending applications at its May 21 meeting, covering coastal site plan reviews for two waterfront and near-water properties, a lot line revision, and a site plan modification for a residential addition, while continuing two other matters to future meetings.

Chair Carol Silver presided over the hybrid meeting, which included commission members Jeff Daniels, Bob O'Connor, Mike Buck, John Beckham, John Morgan, John Duza, Michelle Clark, and Jenna Peckinbaugh. Commission member Max did not attend. Town staff member Aaron presented staff reports and draft resolutions throughout the meeting.

The Full Story

The first item on the agenda, a public hearing for application 26-10 at 397 Durham Road — a special exception request by applicant David Klein to construct a four-unit apartment building — was opened and immediately continued to the June 18 meeting at the applicant's request. Aaron read the full legal notice before the commission voted to table the matter.

The commission then turned to four pending applications, approving all four that were ready for action. Engineer Mike Ott of Summer Hill Civil Engineers in Madison presented the first two. For application 26-12, covering 61 Middle Beach Road West, Ott described the project as a straightforward demolition and reconstruction of a single-family residence on a waterfront lot. The new house will be shifted two feet landward from its current position, and a non-conforming detached garage near Middle Beach Road will be demolished and not replaced. Parking will be accommodated in an enclosed area at grade beneath the new structure, constructed with breakaway walls below the base flood elevation, in compliance with town floodplain regulations, state building code, and FEMA requirements. The mandatory state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection referral, required under statutory updates to the coastal act enacted last fall, produced comments that Aaron noted largely referenced a different project; he flagged the relevant condition regarding erosion and sedimentation controls.

"I had been driving by this property during that storm, and the waves were crashing in on either side of the existing house." [00:00:00] — Jenna Peckinbaugh, commission member

Ott also presented application 26-13 for 22 Flower Avenue, a small infill addition of approximately 12 by 8 feet at the corner of an existing single-family home. Though not a waterfront property, the parcel contains tidal wetlands, triggering a mandatory coastal site plan review and DEEP referral. Aaron noted the original house was built around 2011 with variances and a prior coastal site plan finding, and that the infill addition was not expected to cause further impacts to coastal resources. Both the 61 Middle Beach Road West and 22 Flower Avenue applications had previously received variance approvals from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Thomas Wolkex, a land use technician representing applicant Steven Serra and co-owner John McCallum, presented application 26-16, a lot line revision between 166 Bishop Lane and 7 Saxon Road. Wolkex explained that a survey of both properties, which stem from different phases of the Clover Acres subdivision dating to the 1970s, revealed a gap of just over 10 feet between the two parcels along a stone wall. The lot line revision transfers that gap area, along with additional surplus land from 7 Saxon Road, to 166 Bishop Lane, where the owners intend future improvements. Aaron noted that the commission holds authority to review lot line changes for lots originally created by subdivision, and characterized the action as administrative in nature.

The fourth approval covered application 26-17 at 4 Longview Terrace. General contractor Philip Landroth presented on behalf of owners Michael Forten and Denise Forten, trustees. The project replaces an existing rear deck with a 17-by-17-and-a-half-foot conditioned addition featuring a concrete foundation and mini-split heating. Because the development sits within a coastal zone and involves a site plan modification, a coastal review was required even though the addition is located more than 25 feet from the nearest coastal resource, tidal wetlands along the Hammonasset River. Aaron said he did not refer the matter to DEEP, given the absence of anticipated coastal resource impacts.

Two additional applications were continued. Application 26-15, a coastal site plan for replacement of the Garnet Park Road bridge over Bailey Creek, was tabled to the July 9 meeting. Aaron explained that state permit applications are pending and preliminary feedback from the state has not yet been received; deferring the local review avoids the need for a modification if state agencies require plan changes. Application 26-19, for a flood and erosion control structure at 69 Soundview Avenue, was tabled to June 18 to allow time for a mandatory DEEP referral.

The commission also approved the minutes of its May 7 meeting with one amendment: a note that commission member Andy Ruben had resigned, to be added to the record with thanks for his service. Separately, the commission was informed that application 26-18, a text amendment to address little housing provisions under Special Session Public Act 25-1, formerly known as HB 8002, has been formally entered in the permit software and a public hearing scheduled; no commission action was required at this meeting.

Why It Matters

Four property owners in Madison now have local coastal and land-use approval to move forward with construction or site changes. Two of those approvals — at 61 Middle Beach Road West and 22 Flower Avenue — reflect new mandatory state referral requirements that took effect last fall under updates to Connecticut's Coastal Management Act, a shift that is adding a step to routine residential projects near water. The Garnet Park Road bridge replacement, a town-owned infrastructure project, remains in a holding pattern pending state permitting feedback; the commission's 65-day decision clock means the July 9 meeting is effectively the outer limit before extension procedures would need to be considered. A public hearing on the little housing text amendment, required under state legislation, is now formally scheduled for a future meeting.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Open public hearing for application 26-10, 397 Durham Road, and immediately table to June 18, 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve application 26-12, 61 Middle Beach Road West, coastal site plan review for demolition and reconstruction of single-family residence, with conditions Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve application 26-13, 22 Flower Avenue, coastal site plan review for addition to single-family residence, with conditions Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve application 26-16, 166 Bishop Lane and 7 Saxon Road, lot line revision Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve application 26-17, 4 Longview Terrace, coastal site plan modification to remove existing rear deck and construct 17-by-17.5-foot addition, with conditions Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Application 26-15, Garnet Park Road bridge coastal site plan — Continued to July 9, 2026
• Action: Application 26-19, 69 Soundview Avenue, flood and erosion control structure — Continued to June 18, 2026

- Vote: Approve minutes of May 7, 2026 meeting with amendment noting resignation of Andy Ruben Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

Source Madison's community access TV: Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, May 21, 2026