Guide to Special Development District Designation

PURPOSE

The purpose of a Special Development District (SDD) is to permit and encourage variety and flexibility in land use that will enhance the Town’s development. An SDD is an overlay zone which allows the Town Council to approve a proposed project which may not otherwise have been permitted in the particular zone in which it is located. In order for this approval to be granted, certain standards must be met. These standards may be found in Section 177-44.B. of the Town Zoning Ordinance.

Generally, SDD approval will also require a zone change. In such a case, a consolidated hearing will be held, with the zone change application incorporated into the SDD process.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The first step is to schedule a meeting with the Town Planner to discuss the particulars of your application and the extent of required submissions.

As plans are developed, the applicant should meet with neighborhood groups to discuss the project and listen to their concerns and recommendations. Addressing these concerns and recommendations is important to a successful SDD application.

The formal SDD application is submitted to the Town Clerk a minimum of seven days prior to a regularly scheduled Town Council meeting. Council meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Contact the Town Clerk’s Office for confirmation of meeting dates. Upon receipt (first appearance on the Council agenda), the proposal will be referred to the Town Plan and Zoning Commission (TPZ) and the Design Review Advisory Committee (DRAC) for review and recommendation. It will also be set for public hearing no sooner than 30 nor later than 60 days from the date of receipt, during which time the TPZ, the DRAC and administrative staff will review the application and issue final reports and recommendations to the Council.

The submission should include:

  • Letter describing the development proposal with supporting studies
  • If applicable, ordinance amending the zoning map, including property description
  • Affidavit of interest
  • 7 full-sized copies of complete set of development proposal plans, plus 20 sets reduced to 11” x 17”
  • Please also refer to Sec. 177-44.C.1.(a)-(e) of the Zoning Ordinance.

HEARING

Legal notice of public hearing is published in local newspapers between seven and fourteen days prior to the hearing. Letters are sent about two weeks before the hearing to property owners generally within 250 feet of the property.

Applicant must post a notice of hearing on the property continuously for seven days previous to the hearing date. The sign, and required accompanying affidavit, may be obtained from the Planning and Zoning Office. The sign must be removed within three days after the hearing.

The Council requires that any additional material requested in relation to the application be received at the Council office at least seven days prior to the public hearing.

Upon consideration of the application, the Town Council may approve it, disapprove it, or approve it with conditions.

FILING OF PLANS AFTER APPROVAL

Copies of the approved plans must be filed on the Land Records within 90 days from the date of approval. If not so filed, the approval will automatically be null and void.

In order for an SDD to become effective, you must provide the Town Planner with the following:

  • Two (2) mylar reproducible plan sets, in accordance with Connecticut statutory filing requirements
  • Three (3) print copies of the approved plan
  • Land Record filing fees.

The Town Planner will check your final plans, certify their conformance with the Town Council accepted plans, and will then forward a set to the Town Clerk for filing.

FEES

  • SDD application (paid at Town Clerk’s Office): $550, plus $100 per 1,000 S.F. of new building or changed use, PLUS State of Connecticut surcharge of $30
  • Sign affidavit fee: $20
  • Fee for filing plans on the Land Records: $10 per each original sheet

ADMENDMENTS TO SDD’s

There are two types of amendments to an approved SDD:

  1. Administrative Amendment: The Town Planner can approve certain adjustments (listed in the Zoning Ordinance, §177-44.C.(8)) to an approved SDD plan without Town Council approval, provided that the modified plan will be in accordance with the purposes of the original SDD plan approved by the Town Council. The Council has the option to reject such approval.

    The Town Planner may approve an application for an amendment only once every 12 months, not including those instances in which the Town Council reverses the Town Planner’s decision.

    Please see “Guide to Special Development District Administrative Amendment” for application process.

  2. For all other amendments, the same process as applying for an initial SDD must be followed.

See Section 177-44 of the West Hartford Zoning Ordinance

A copy of the ordinance may be purchased at the Planning & Zoning Office for $20. It is also available online, click on “Complete Code for West Hartford”. For more information, call the Town Planning and Zoning Office at (860) 561-7555.

Updated January 2005

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