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Halas Farm amendment approved, with conditions - NewsTimes.com

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Halas Farmamendment approved, with conditions By Eugene Driscoll

a politically active Democrat who often speaks out against development in Danbury. Gucker had circulated petitions in the residential neighborhood saying "Protect our neighborhoods! Stop improper development," and said that City Hall gave Halas too many zoning breaks over the years.

I STAFF WRITER

Article Last Updated: 05/1412008 04:44:28 PM EDT

DANBURY - The city's Zoning Commission Tuesday passed a zoning amendment that gives Halas Farm on Route 37 permission to use land across the streetirom the store, provided owner Michael Halas does not allow retail sales to take place on the property.

Gucker said he had nothing against the farm, but wanted to see zoning laws applied without bias in Danbury. In an usual move at Tuesday's zoning commission meeting, zoning commission member Andrew Wetmore read a statement into

"It was approved with stipulations. I just don't know what the cons are at this point with the stipulations, so I don't even know how to comment on it at this point," Halas said Wednesday.

the record saying he had no personal connection to Halas Farm or the Halas family. Wetmore made the statement after City Hall and the corporation counsel's office received complaints that Wetmore was spotted leaving City Hall after an April zoning commission meeting with members of the Halas family.

Halas had already cleared the land and started storing equipment there over the summer which touched off a controversy between the city's zoning enforcement officer and Halas.

"I walked out of City Hall. They were leaving at the same time. I had never even met them before

City officials said Halas did not have permission to clear the land. Halas said he didn't think he ,

that meeting," said Wetmore, a Republican. "That was just a political move to slander me. I just wanted to get on the record that nothing happened. Irs a little ludicrous to assume something was going on, especially when there were tons of people around."

needed permission - and said any work done on the land improved site lines for motorists traveling Route 37. The city then worked with Halas to modify the zoning regulations to allow Halas to do wanted he wanted to do.

While Halas' original intent was to simply store mulch and farm equipment on the land across the street, Halas did acknowledge in April that

That drew the criticism of resident Ken Gucker, Advertisement jr-

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Halas Farm amendment approved, with conditions - NewsTimes.com

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some customers would be able to purchase mulch and the newly-acquired property. That triggered safety concerns from members of the zoning commission, which is why they inserted language saying it could be used for storage and storage only. However, Halas pointed out that he has not presented any formal plans for the property and the approval of any such plans would be subject to approval by the planning commission. "The zoning commission here was overstepping their bounds," he said.

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