NEW MILFORD—Zoning Commission member Janice Vance wants the town to offer people indoor ice skating or in-line skating, miniature golf, live outdoor concerts and theater, sporting events and other entertainment.
Not only would they benefit the economy by encouraging residents to spend their entertainment dollars locally, Vance said such ventures would bolster tourism. That is why she is backing a proposed amendment to the zoning regulations that would encourage indoor and outdoor live entertainment complexes in the town’s business zone. The regulation would also allow for banquet facilities.
The changes are expected to be discussed at the commission’s July 29 meeting, but there is no set timetable to take a vote.
Vance said she wants to offer regulations that allow developers to brainstorm possibilities that will benefit the town as it grows. “I want to proactively put in uses that don’t exist today,” Vance said.
Other town and business leaders also favor this idea, but some balk at the coordinating proposal to delete from the regulations additional indoor movie theaters and assembly halls. As the town already has the Bank Street Movie Theater, and competitors within a short drive, Vance said she does not believe the town needs any more.
Another zoning regulation proposal offered a few months ago meant to limit additional theater competition failed. Mayor Patricia Murphy said she favors the new amendment as a progressive idea to enhance what the community has to offer its current and future residents and visitors.
“Live concerts would be fabulous,” Murphy said. “I appreciate the (summer) concerts on the green, but to have a large venue would certainly be something that would be enjoyed by everyone, I’m sure.”
She said the opportunity to offer places where people can attend a sporting event or a stage concert “sounds like fun.” And she is not opposed to limiting indoor theaters to the existing downtown Bank Street Theater or assembly halls to what already exist in town. The Planning Commission, however, disagreed with eliminating indoor theaters and assembly halls even though they favor expanding the types of entertainment venues that can be offered. In a unanimous vote, the commission voted to endorse the proposed amendment but asked that those venues also include indoor theaters and assembly halls.
Arthur Howland Associates owner and engineer Paul Szymanski said he favors amending the regulations so his clients can consider new entertainment endeavors, and opposes the change that would prevent what they could do in the future. He said he believes the existing regulation and proposed amendment will stimulate business growth that is compatible, rather than destructive, to what currently exists.
But Szymanski said it is always tough to remove something from existing regulations because “it is hard to imagine the unintended consequences.”
By Nanci Hutson – News Times