Madison Planning and Zoning Commission Continues Durham Road Apartment Hearing, Approves Soundview Seawall

Town Council · Meeting of June 18, 2026

CT MADISON — Madison approves Soundview Avenue seawall, continues Durham Road apartment review. The Madison Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously at its June 18 meeting to approve a coastal site plan for an 80-foot-5-inch tiered retaining wall at 69 Soundview Avenue, plugging the last unprotected gap in a storm-battered shoreline stretch after an unnamed December 2025 storm stripped the property's landscaped slope and began undermining a neighbor's wall. Engineer David Provencial of Shore Design PLLC, presenting for owner-applicant Ray Pantelina, said Connecticut DEEP had found the project consistent with the Coastal Management Act and the town's floodplain administrator had signed off as well.

The commission also continued a public hearing on applicant David Klein's proposed four-unit apartment building at 397 Durham Road to July 16, after commissioners raised unresolved concerns about a roughly 100-foot unlighted path connecting a front parking area to the building; Town Planner Erin Mannix recommended Klein bring a full lighting plan to ACCA's July 14 meeting. A nil housing text amendment was tabled to July 9 after a legal-notice posting error barred the commission from opening the hearing.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,142 words

Source: the Town Council meeting of June 18, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

MADISON — June 18, 2026 — The Madison Planning and Zoning Commission approved a coastal erosion-control wall at 69 Soundview Avenue and continued a public hearing on a proposed four-unit apartment building at 397 Durham Road to July 16, while tabling a separate housing text amendment after a legal-notice error.

The commission's most consequential action was unanimous approval of an 80-foot, 5-inch tiered retaining wall at 69 Soundview Avenue, designed to plug a gap in a stretch of long-stabilized shoreline that suffered severe wave damage in a December 2025 storm. The panel also moved a queue of pending applications toward summer hearings, with two downtown streetscape projects scheduled for August 20.

The Full Story

Commission Chair Carol Snow opened the June 18 meeting by flagging that a posting error in the legal notice for application 26-18, a nil housing text amendment, barred the commission from opening that hearing. The item was immediately tabled to the July 9 meeting.

The commission then reopened the continued public hearing for application 26-10, 397 Durham Road, where applicant David Klein of 391 Durham Road is seeking a special exception under Section 4.1.35.1.10 of the zoning regulations to construct a 40-by-60-foot four-unit apartment building on a wooded, wetland-constrained lot. Klein told commissioners he has appeared before the Aquatic and Coastal Conservation Agency, known as ACCA, twice and has been asked to return for a July 14 meeting to address design elements, particularly exterior materials and window details.

"You know, I kind of believe in trying to develop a model for this, if I can, where you do more of this infill development, redeveloping existing parcels and trying to bring in housing that way on a smaller scale." [No timestamp index provided] — David Klein, applicant

Commissioners raised recurring concerns about a roughly 100-foot gravel path connecting the building to a front parking area that lacks any planned lighting. Town Planner Erin Mannix recommended that Klein bring a formal lighting proposal, including full-cutoff, dark-sky-friendly fixtures at a color temperature not exceeding 3,000 Kelvin, to the July 14 ACCA meeting. Commissioners also flagged that the parking area, which sits in the front yard, may not qualify as a legally nonconforming configuration if its footprint is shifting to accommodate a new septic system, and directed that a formal finding on that question be made before any final vote. Klein acknowledged the parking position might shift several feet east, which could require a waiver request.

Mannix reminded the commission that its 35-day hearing window would close June 25 without an extension. Klein verbally granted the commission a 21-day extension on the record, pushing the deadline to accommodate a continued hearing on July 16 pending town engineer review and additional ACCA feedback.

On the Soundview Avenue application, David Provencial of Shore Design PLLC presented on behalf of owner and applicant Ray Pantelina. He described 69 Soundview Avenue as "the weak link" in a stretch of properties otherwise protected by a large boulder revetment, a concrete bulkhead, and adjacent low retaining walls. An unnamed December storm stripped the landscaped slope and began undermining a neighbor's return wall at 73 Soundview Avenue.

"The waves are just crashing over everything and just ripped out his landscaped slope, and then obviously because the other properties are retained by low walls they were unharmed." [No timestamp index provided] — David Provencial, Shore Design PLLC

The proposed structure mirrors the profile of the wall at 73 Soundview to the west, runs 80 feet 5 inches, and includes recessed stairs and removable storm boards. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issued a finding of consistency with the Coastal Management Act, and the town's floodplain administrator found consistency with the town's floodplain ordinance. The commission voted unanimously to approve the application with conditions requiring 48-hour notice to the zoning enforcement officer before regulated activity begins and maintenance of erosion controls until the site is sufficiently stabilized.

The commission also voted to grant a 90-day extension to file the record subdivision mylar for application 25-28, Bushnell Lane, for owner-applicant Linda H. Fast, setting a new expiration date of September 16, 2026. Minutes from prior meetings were reviewed and approved. Chair Snow noted that 10 applications are currently pending and asked members to flag summer vacation dates so the commission can maintain quorum.

Why It Matters

The Soundview Avenue approval removes an erosion vulnerability in a densely developed shoreline stretch and directly protects a neighboring property at 73 Soundview Avenue that had begun to show damage. The decision reflects a pattern of wave-overtopping events intensifying along the Connecticut coast and sets a structural precedent for the remaining unprotected section of that beachfront block.

The 397 Durham Road apartment case moves into a critical phase. The town engineer's first formal comments are due before the July 16 hearing, and ACCA's design feedback on July 14 will shape what conditions the commission imposes. The project is one of a small number of small-scale multi-family infill applications before the commission and touches the town's broader housing supply question, particularly after the tabling of a separate nil housing text amendment.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Reopen public hearing for application 26-10, 397 Durham Road Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Continue public hearing for application 26-10, 397 Durham Road to July 16, 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Application 26-18, nil housing text amendment — Tabled to July 9, 2026

- Vote: Approve application 26-19, 69 Soundview Avenue, coastal site plan for tiered retaining wall Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Application 26-15, Garnet Park — Tabled to July 9, 2026

- Action: Application 26-20, text amendment — Schedule public hearing for July 9, 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Application 26-22, 69 Campus Drive, site plan modification (demolition of portable classroom building) — Tabled to July 9, 2026
• Action: Application 26-23, 980 Durham Road, site modification (demolition of former Ryan School) — Tabled to July 9, 2026
• Action: Application 26-24, 391 Durham Road, special exception for domestic pet services — Tabled pending text amendment hearing on July 9, 2026

- Action: Application 26-25, 28 Lane, hot tub within 25 feet of critical coastal resource — Tabled to July 9, 2026 pending DEEP referral Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Schedule public hearing for application 26-26, Boston Post Road (Madison Center Project Phase 3 sidewalk and road alterations) for August 20, 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Schedule public hearing for application 26-27, Boston Post Road/Britton Lane/West Wharf, major downtown village district alteration, for August 20, 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve 90-day extension to file record subdivision mylar for application 25-28, Bushnell Lane, Linda H. Fast; new expiration date September 16, 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Madison's community access TV: Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, June 18, 2026