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Seasonal Lot Rule Changes Proposed for Old Saybrook

OLD SAYBROOK - If proposed ordinance changes are approved by the selectmen and the town, homeowners with a seasonal property on a non-conforming lot will have options other than a complete tear down if converting a property to year-round use.

Changes to the town's winterization ordinance that would ease conversions of seasonal properties to year-round use will be the subject of a Thursday, July 21 public hearing before the town's Board of Selectmen. The rule changes proposed would allow owners to petition to remove their property from the seasonal list as long as the owner's plan would not alter existing setback distances and would include updates of the home to building and health code rules. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in the first floor conference room of the Town Hall as part of a special Board of Selectmen's meeting.

While current regulations require tearing down an existing structure to convert a property to year-round use, as long as the owner's conversion plans do not increase the "zoning burden" on the lot, the structure's wastewater system meets health code rules, and the structure is brought into compliance with the building code, a conversion of an existing structure from seasonal to year-round use would be possible.

"We want to give the owners of these properties beneficial use of their properties," said First Selectman Michael Pace.

The new process would require that a homeowner petition the Board of Selectmen to remove the property from the seasonal list after obtaining approval of his or her plan from both the regional health district's director of health and the town building official.

Currently there are 413 properties still listed as seasonal in Volume 200 of the town's permanent land records. The 413 properties are those that remain listed as officially seasonal following last month's decision by the Board of Selectmen to remove 148 from the original list. The 148 of the 561 properties originally on the list were removed as a housekeeping effort that recognized their actual status as for year-round occupancy.