The undersigned, all current residents of West Hartford, deliver this petition to the West Hartford Town Council to object to the Proposed Ordinance put forth by Lexham Private Investors LLC seeking to change the FAR within the BC Zone (the "Proposed Ordinance").
THE UNDERSIGNED RESIDENTS STRONGLY URGE THE TOWN COUNCIL TO:
1. Reject the Proposed Ordinance increasing the floor-to-area ratio (FAR).
The proposed FAR change is overly broad because it allows increased development density throughout the Commercial Business (BC) zones. We believe a more measured approach to zoning is required, particularly in classic West Hartford Center and where commercial areas border residences.
2. Initiate a comprehensive zoning review process involving all constituents.
This Town-led process should include input from developers, business owners, residents and neighbors. The resulting recommendations should form the basis of proposed changes to Town zoning regulations.
3. Adopt forward-thinking zoning changes to ensure both commercial growth and stable residential property values.
To ensure that classic West Hartford Center retains its unique appeal, while also preserving residential neighborhoods bordering commercial development, the process should consider increases and decreases to the FAR in various areas, buffer zones, building set-backs, height and density limits, scale and staging of building height near residential areas, architectural design, traffic and parking.
The comprehensive process we support was initially suggested by the Town during public hearings earlier this year. We only ask that the Town Council reject the Proposed Ordinance so we can all work together to plan for the future.