Marathon Hearing On Four Town Fairgrounds In Somers Continued

SOMERS, CT — A protracted dispute concerning the Four Town Fairgrounds and a group of adjacent residential neighbors is still without resolution, as a public hearing Thursday night lasting over three hours was continued until March 2.

The Somers Zoning Board of Appeals met via Zoom teleconference to hear from attorneys representing the Union Agricultural Society of Somers, Enfield, Ellington & East Windsor, Inc. (UAS), owners of the fairgrounds property at 56 Egypt Road since 1960, and more than a dozen residents of Sunshine Farms Drive, Little Sorrel Lane and Country Fair Drive, a subdivision built in the late 1980s which abuts the fairgrounds.

At issue is a ruling last summer by Zoning Enforcement Officer Jennifer Roy, enabling the UAS to continue renting the property to outside organizations during "off-season" periods. Roy said a special use permit was not required for such events, deeming them to be legal non-conforming usage.

In a letter to UAS official Stu Grant dated July 1, 2020, Roy wrote, "After careful review of the documentation, and discussion with the Town Attorney, Carl Landolina, I have determined that such use of the property is a legal non-conforming use. Therefore, no Special Use Permit is required."

John Parks, attorney for the petitioning neighbors, filed an appeal of Roy's decision, with several residents stating their opposition at a June meeting. One said she "doesn't want to hear events every weekend," while another expressed concern about the ending time of events and the noise factor.

At Thursday's hearing, Parks explained his clients are not opposed to the Four Town Fair, an extravaganza ongoing for over 180 years, or the annual Hartford County 4-H Fair in August, another longtime tradition.

Instead, Parks said his clients contest what he termed a "get out of jail free card" the UAS seems to have, calling it "the only property in town that does not have to comply with zoning regulations."

"It's an unusual, unprecedented decision," he said during his 80-minute presentation to the board. "In 41 years as an attorney, there has been no other property in Somers with this carte blanche."

Parks said events conducted on the property in the past, including rock concerts and mud bogs, have created noise levels "equivalent to a battlefield."

"There's only one thing this is about - the noise," he said. "Having Woodstock next door when you're trying to put your kids to bed is not allowed anywhere in Somers. My clients are being told they can shelter at home and risk hearing loss, or go out and risk getting coronavirus."

Attorney Dorian Famiglietti, representing the UAS, spoke for 47 minutes, presenting evidence dating back six decades as to the numerous activities which have taken place on the grounds. She chided Parks for making claims about excessive noise without substantiation.

"There is no evidence of any noise violations, just speculation," she said.

Society members contend the revenue from off-season property rentals is essential to continuation of the Four Town Fair, and stopping those rentals after so many years would likely mean an end to the fair.

Hundreds of pages of documents have been entered as exhibits from both sides. They may be found here.

At 10:15 p.m., with more than 50 participants on the Zoom call, chairman Dean Hills called for a motion to continue the hearing. It will resume at a special meeting March 2 at 7 p.m.

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