Sec. 25-102d. Connecticut River Gateway Committee: Membership, duties.
Election by towns. (a) There shall be a Connecticut River Gateway Committee consisting of the Commissioner of Environmental Protection or his designee, a representative from each of the towns of Old Saybrook, Essex, Deep River, Chester, Haddam,
East Haddam, Lyme and Old Lyme, appointed by the first selectman of each of said
towns, and a representative of the Mid-State Regional Planning Agency appointed by
said agency and a representative of the Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning
Agency appointed by said agency. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection
shall, within thirty days of July 1, 1973, call a meeting of said committee which shall,
within ninety days thereafter: (1) Hold public hearings for the purpose of developing
minimum standards to preserve the area within the conservation zone as hereinafter
provided; (2) using as guidelines whatever standards may be applicable, including those
set down for estuarine sanctuaries by the Department of Commerce under the Coastal
Zone Management Act of 1972 (P.L. 92.583), prepare minimum standards for the regulation of the usage of property within the conservation zone consistent with the purposes
of this chapter and for the protection and development, for purposes of this chapter, of
such property by means of land coverage, frontage, setback, design and building height
and the regulation of the cutting of timber, burning of undergrowth, removal of soil or
other earth materials and the dumping or storing of refuse to prevent deterioration of
the natural or traditional riverway scene, provided such standards shall not discourage
constructive development and uses of such property, which are consistent with the purposes of this chapter; (3) make recommendations for lands and waters to be acquired
by the commissioner in less than fee title under the provisions of section 25-102f; and
(4) present such standards, with relevant findings as to whether the plan of development
and zoning ordinances and planning and subdivision regulations, relating to land within
the conservation zone of each of the eight towns enumerated in this subsection conform
with such standards and, if not, specifying the particulars in which they do not conform,
to the conservation commissions, zoning commissions, planning commissions and planning and zoning commissions of the respective towns. No action by said committee
shall be effective except by the concurring vote of at least six members. The committee
shall terminate at such time as the Connecticut River Gateway Commission has been
created under section 25-102e or four towns have voted not to be governed by the
provisions of sections 25-102g, 25-102h and 25-102j.
(b) The commissions of the respective towns referred to in subsection (a) above
shall study the standards so established and shall, within ninety days of such submission,
file with the town clerk of the town which they serve, for submission to its legislative
body, recommendations as to whether such town should vote to be governed by the
provisions of sections 25-102g, 25-102h and 25-102j. Failure of a commission to make
such recommendations within the time limited therefor shall be deemed a recommendation that the town should vote to be so governed. Within thirty days after April 22,
1974, the clerk of any such town which has not previously voted to be governed by the
provisions of this chapter, shall call a meeting of its legislative body at the earliest legal
date, which may be the annual or a regular or special meeting of such body, at which
meeting, such legislative body shall vote as to whether such town shall be governed by
the provisions of said sections 25-102g, 25-102h and 25-102j and the town clerk of
such town shall report the result of such vote to the Commissioner of Environmental
Protection for transmittal to the Connecticut River Gateway Committee.
(P.A. 73-349, S. 4, 11; P.A. 74-103, S. 2, 10.)
History: P.A. 74-103 added reference to "planning and subdivision regulations, relating to land within the conservation
zone" in Subdiv. (4) of Subsec. (a) and revised provision in Subsec. (b) re vote by town's legislative body to require that
clerk call meeting for purpose of voting within thirty days of April 22, 1974.
Sec. 25-102e. Connecticut River Gateway Commission established. Funds
held in custody. (a) After at least five of the towns to which this chapter applies have
voted to be governed by the provisions of sections 25-102g, 25-102h and 25-102j, the
legislative body of each such town or the board of selectmen in the case of a municipality
in which the legislative body is a town meeting, shall, within sixty days, appoint a
member and an alternate member to the Connecticut River Gateway Commission, each
to serve for a term of two years and until his successor is appointed and has qualified.
Such appointments may be made at the legislative body's meeting held pursuant to
subsection (b) of section 25-102d, to take effect when the last of the first five towns has
voted to be governed by the provisions of this chapter. The Mid-State Regional Planning
Agency and the Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency shall each appoint
a representative and an alternate representative from said agency, each to serve on said
commission for a term of two years. An alternate member shall be empowered to vote
on said commission in the absence of the member for whom he is an alternate. The
initial terms of members shall commence when the last of the first five towns voting to
be governed by the provisions of this chapter has appointed a member and an alternate
member and the initial terms of members from towns which so vote at a later date shall
be concurrent with those of persons already members of the commission. Any vacancy
on the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for
the balance of the unexpired term. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection or
his designee shall be a member of said commission. No appointed member shall receive
any compensation for his service on said commission. Said commission shall elect from
its members a chairman and such other officers as it deems necessary and shall establish
its own rules of procedure. The commission shall be an autonomous body within the
Department of Environmental Protection for administrative purposes only. The commission may employ expert and such other assistants as it judges necessary and may accept
funds from any source. Notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes, any
funds appropriated to the commission, or received by the commission from any other
source, shall be held in the custody of the commission and expended by the commission
for the purposes set forth in this chapter.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes, the commission
may: (1) Acquire or convey by purchase, gift, lease, devise, exchange or otherwise, any
land or interest therein including, but not limited to, conservation easements, located
wholly or partly in the conservation zone, provided such acquisition does not utilize
funds furnished by the state; (2) transfer, with the approval of the commissioner, any
land or interest therein to the state with or without consideration, provided any funds
received therefor shall not be deemed funds furnished by the state for the purposes of
this section, and (3) contribute or transfer funds to, and enter into agreements with, land
trusts or other conservation organizations, to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
The commission shall report to the general assembly, on or before February fifteenth,
annually, on its activities of the preceding year and on its finances. The existence of the
commission shall terminate at such time as all of its member towns have withdrawn or
it is abolished by the General Assembly.
(P.A. 73-349, S. 5, 11; P.A. 74-103, S. 3, 10; P.A. 75-370, S. 1, 3; P.A. 79-560, S. 13, 39; P.A. 84-127, S. 3, 4; P.A.
86-406, S. 13, 15; P.A. 91-369, S. 1, 36; P.A. 94-59, S. 4.)
History: P.A. 74-103 added provision to specify when appointments to Commission are to be made and when they are
to take effect and declared Commission to be an "autonomous body within the department of environmental protection
for fiscal and budgetary purposes only"; P.A. 75-370 specified that funds received from sources other than environmental
protection department are to be preserved for purposes of chapter 477a and kept separate from allocations made by the
department; P.A. 79-560 placed commission within environmental protection department for "administrative" rather than
"fiscal and budgetary" purposes; P.A. 84-127 replaced provision that certain funds be maintained in a separate account
by the environmental protection department with provision that funds received by the commission be held in the custody
of the commission; P.A. 86-406 added provisions clarifying land acquisitions, transfers, etc., and divided the section into
Subsecs.; P.A. 91-369 amended Subsec. (a) to delete a provision allowing a member of the commission to be reimbursed
for expenses related to his duties; P.A. 94-59 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that appointments shall be made by the board
of selectmen in the case of a municipality in which the legislative body is a town meeting.
See Sec. 4-38f for definition of "administrative purposes only".
Sec. 25-102f. Acquisition of land and water interests by the state. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall, with the approval of said commission and in
the manner provided in section 22a-25, acquire in the name of the state interests less
than fee in lands and waters, including scenic easements and development rights, necessary and applicable to the preservation of the Connecticut River as provided in section
25-102a within the area encompassed by the towns of Old Saybrook, Essex, Deep River,
Chester, Haddam, East Haddam, Lyme and Old Lyme, provided he shall not so acquire
the title to scenic easement and development rights with respect to more than twenty-five
hundred acres and provided interests in lands and waters held by trusts for conservation
purposes or municipally owned lands and waters shall not be subject to condemnation.
The commissioner shall be guided in making such acquisitions by the recommendations
of the committee made under subsection (a) of section 25-102d and by any modifications
which the commission may make to such recommendations. Funds for such acquisitions
shall be made available from the proceeds of bonds authorized under subdivision (9)
of subsection (b) of section 2 of special act 73-74. Interests less than fee acquired by
the commissioner by gift or devise shall not be applied against the twenty-five hundred
acres referred to in this section. Interests acquired by purchase, at less than fair market
value, as determined by the appraisal of the Department of Environmental Protection,
shall be applied against said twenty-five hundred acre limitation to the extent of the
percentage of purchase price to fair market value.
(P.A. 73-349, S. 10, 11; P.A. 74-103, S. 7, 10; P.A. 75-370, S. 2, 3.)
History: P.A. 74-103 specified that "interests less than fee acquired by the commissioner by gift or devise shall not be
applied against the twenty-five hundred acres referred to in this section"; P.A. 75-370 required that commissioner be guided
by modifications to recommendations made by Commission and specified that interests acquired by purchase at less than
fair market value "shall be applied against said twenty-five hundred acre limitation to the extent of the percentage of
purchase price to fair market value".
Sec. 25-102g. Local zoning within the conservation zone. Standards. Approval
procedure. Revision of standards. (a) After at least five of the towns to which this
chapter applies have voted to be so governed, the planning commission and the zoning
commission, or the combined planning and zoning commission, of each town which so
votes shall promptly revise the zoning ordinances or plan of development and planning
and subdivision regulations, relating to land within the conservation zone of such town
to meet the minimum standards established under the provisions of section 25-102d,
and thereafter shall promptly make further revisions to meet any revised standards
adopted by the commission pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.
(b) No adoption, amendment or repeal of a local zoning, subdivision or planning
regulation with respect to property within the conservation zone within such town shall
be effective which has not received the approval of the Connecticut River Gateway
Commission. Each local zoning commission, planning commission or combined planning and zoning commission shall submit its decision by certified mail to the Connecticut
River Gateway Commission for approval. If, within thirty-five days after receipt of such
submission, said commission has failed to approve or disapprove such submission, it
shall be deemed to be so approved; provided, the Connecticut River Gateway Commission may within said time period reserve decision thereon and schedule the matter for
a public hearing. Notice of the Gateway Commission's decision on the submission or
of its determination to hold a public hearing shall be made in writing to the commission
referring the submission. Such public hearing shall commence within sixty-five days
after receipt of the submission and shall terminate within sixty days of its commencement
and shall be held by a majority of the members of the Connecticut River Gateway
Commission, with representatives of at least five member towns present, at which parties
in interest and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard. Notice of the time and
place of such hearing shall be published in the form of a legal advertisement in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in the town from which the submission was referred,
two times, at intervals of not less than two days, the first not more than fifteen days nor
less than ten days, and the last not less than two days, before such hearing. The action
of the Connecticut River Gateway Commission shall have the object of regulating the
uses of such property consistent with the purposes of this chapter and promoting the
protection and development for purposes of this chapter of such property by means of
classification of zoning districts according to types of land usage permitted therein, land
coverage, frontage, setback, design and building height and by regulating the cutting
of timber, burning of undergrowth, removing soil or other earth materials and dumping
or storing refuse in a manner that would detract from the natural or traditional riverway
scene, provided such action shall not discourage constructive development and uses of
such property which are consistent with the purposes of this chapter. The commission
shall render a decision on the submission within sixty-five days after completion of the
hearing. The submitting commission may consent to an extension of any period specified
in this subsection, provided such extension shall not be for longer than double the period
specified, or it may withdraw such submission. The Gateway Commission shall publish
notice of its decision in a newspaper having substantial circulation in the town from
which the submission was received.
(c) The commission shall, from time to time, review, and may, after public hearing
of which at least fifteen days' notice has been given in a newspaper or newspapers
having a circulation in the conservation zone, revise the standards established under the
provisions of section 25-102d consistent with the purposes of this chapter. A copy of
the proposed revisions to be presented at such public hearing shall be furnished at least
fifteen days prior thereto to the conservation commissions, zoning commissions, planning commissions or combined planning and zoning commissions of the towns to be
affected thereby.
(P.A. 73-349, S. 6, 11; P.A. 74-103, S. 4, 10; P.A. 79-319, S. 2, 5.)
HIstory: P.A. 74-103 added references to planning and subdivision regulations, clarified which local commissions are
involved under section, required that regulations be revised to meet revised standards adopted by Commission, changed
time after which actions deemed approved in Subsec. (b) from sixty-five to thirty-five days after their submission and
added reference to classification of zoning districts by types of land usage and amended Subsec. (c) to require that copies
of proposed revisions be supplied to local commissions at least fifteen days before hearing is to be held; P.A. 79-319 added
provisions in Subsec. (b) re public hearings held when Commission decides to reserve decision for the purpose, set deadline
for decision after conclusion of hearing, allowed extensions of deadline and required Commission to publish its decision.
Sec. 25-102h. Action on applications to zoning boards of appeals referred to
Connecticut River Gateway Commission. Whenever any zoning board of appeals of
a town which has voted to be governed by the provisions of this section and sections
25-102g and 25-102j receives an application with respect to land within the conservation
zone, such board shall submit a copy of such application to the Connecticut River Gateway Commission and the conservation commission of the town within which such land
is located not less than ten days prior to the date set for the hearing on such application.
Said commission shall review such application to determine if the action requested in
such application is adverse to the protection and development of the conservation zone
in accordance with the purposes of this chapter and the standards set forth in section
25-102d. In addition to its other powers and duties, the zoning board of appeals shall
determine if the action requested in such application is consistent with the purposes
of this chapter and the standards set forth in subsection (b) of section 25-102g. Said
commission and such conservation commission shall be deemed aggrieved parties at
any hearing on any such application before the zoning board of appeals and for the
purpose of taking an appeal pursuant to section 8-8.
(P.A. 73-349, S. 7, 11; P.A. 74-103, S. 5, 10; P.A. 79-319, S. 3, 5.)
History: P.A. 74-103 replaced previous provisions re discretionary submission of matters by zoning board of appeals
to Commission for advisory opinions with provisions requiring zoning board of appeals to submit applications received
concerning land within conservation zone to town conservation commission and Gateway Commission before hearing and
setting out role of those commissions in application proceedings; P.A. 79-319 authorized zoning board of appeals to
determine if request contained in the application is consistent with purposes of the chapter and standards under Sec. 25-102g.
Sec. 25-102i. Appeals from zoning boards of appeals to commission. Section
25-102i is repealed.
(P.A. 73-349, S. 8, 11; P.A. 74-103, S. 9, 10.)
Sec. 25-102j. Withdrawal of town by referendum. Reinstatement by referendum. (a) Any town which has voted to be governed by the provisions of sections 25-102g, 25-102h and this section may, by referendum, vote not to be so governed and,
effective six months thereafter, the provisions of said sections shall not apply to such
town. Upon the filing of a petition of not less than ten per cent of the voters of such
town circulated as provided in section 7-9 and section 7-9a, such referendum shall be
held, subject to the provisions of section 7-9b and section 7-9c, at a regular or special
town meeting to be held within sixty days after such filing.
(b) Notwithstanding any decision of a town not to be governed by the provisions
of sections 25-102g, 25-102h and this section, taken pursuant to subsection (a) of this
section, such town may vote to again be so governed by petition and referendum as set
forth in subsection (a) of this section.
(P.A. 73-349, S. 9, 11; P.A. 74-103, S. 6, 10.)
History: P.A. 74-103 added Subsec. (b) re subsequent votes.