News
Published: Thursday, August 08, 2013
By ALICE TESSIER
atessier@ctcentral.com
@thelct on Twitter
NEW MILFORD—Local landscapers want to create an organic gardening center on property located on Litchfield Road (Route 202), in the Northville section of town.
The Inland Wetlands Commission is currently conducting a public hearing on the proposal, which will continue Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. at the town hall.
Chris Bruzzi, owner of the property at 354 Litchfield Road, said he is seeking a change in zoning use from residential to mixed use to allow retail and office space, along with related landscaping and a parking area, for the creation of a retail garden center.
Mr. Bruzzi noted that he had owned the property for several years, occupying the house, and then sold it and moved to his current residence in town. Then, last year, he repurchased the Litchfield Road property, aiming to pursue his plans to create an organic garden center.
He said he had previously obtained a permit for retail sales and outdoor storage on the site.
“This has been a dream of mine, to do this, for a long time—to create a place where you can come with your family and do an activity, walk around and see our plantings and designs, eat a little something with your family, get plants and supplies, and learn about our design services,” he said.
“It would be for people who want to see what the possibilities are, in plants and design, whether they want to do it themselves or have someone do it for them,” Mr. Bruzzi said.
“It wasn’t the right time for me to do it before, but I bought the property back last year, because I want to go ahead with this now,” he said.
Mr. Bruzzi, a landscape contractor, noted he has 17 years’ experience serving customers in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y., with his business, Bruzzi Lawn Landscape, LLC.
According to its Web site, the services it provides include landscape design, installation and maintenance, hydroseeding, masonry, excavation and drainage. Continued…
“We are all organic as far as what we do and what we use,” he said, regarding the services he provides for his customers and the products he uses. He noted, however, that they may not choose to be “all organic” in what they do with their own property.
According to his proposal, Mr. Bruzzi would like to use the first floor of the house on the property for retail and other uses, including a refreshment and activity area. The second floor would be used as office space by Dirk Sabin, a landscape designer based in Washington, and a library where visitors can browse horticultural books.
Mr. Bruzzi would create an office for his own use in the barn on the property, which would also store supplies, after that structure is renovated.
A patio area off of the house would also be used for activities that would be “family oriented and instructional,” Mr. Bruzzi said.
“People could come and learn about plants, pot plants or have it done for them, see how they work in a landscape, and the plants would be what are local within a few states,” he said. “They could come and do a craft, maybe even have a group do a project or have a potting activity. We plan to have different horticultural classes there.”
“I want it to be just a different place,” he said. “There would still be things like planters and mulch along with other supplies for sale, but visitors could wander around and stay awhile and see designs for ornamental and display gardens and masonry as well.”
Mr. Bruzzi said he sees the current proposal as “a small start” to fulfilling his dream on the five+-acre parcel, which is located across from Northville Fire Department on Route 202.
Commission members want more information about how the area by the river would be used and landscaped, as the property, citing 100-year-flood plain concerns.
Mr. Bruzzi said he thinks some residents in the area might be opposed to the proposal, particularly since he plans to serve food there.
“I’m thinking more of a café-like setup. I’m not going to be putting a deli here,” he said. Continued…
NEW MILFORD—Local landscapers want to create an organic gardening center on property located on Litchfield Road (Route 202), in the Northville section of town.
The Inland Wetlands Commission is currently conducting a public hearing on the proposal, which will continue Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. at the town hall.
Chris Bruzzi, owner of the property at 354 Litchfield Road, said he is seeking a change in zoning use from residential to mixed use to allow retail and office space, along with related landscaping and a parking area, for the creation of a retail garden center.
Mr. Bruzzi noted that he had owned the property for several years, occupying the house, and then sold it and moved to his current residence in town. Then, last year, he repurchased the Litchfield Road property, aiming to pursue his plans to create an organic garden center.
He said he had previously obtained a permit for retail sales and outdoor storage on the site.
“This has been a dream of mine, to do this, for a long time—to create a place where you can come with your family and do an activity, walk around and see our plantings and designs, eat a little something with your family, get plants and supplies, and learn about our design services,” he said.
“It would be for people who want to see what the possibilities are, in plants and design, whether they want to do it themselves or have someone do it for them,” Mr. Bruzzi said.
“It wasn’t the right time for me to do it before, but I bought the property back last year, because I want to go ahead with this now,” he said.
Mr. Bruzzi, a landscape contractor, noted he has 17 years’ experience serving customers in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y., with his business, Bruzzi Lawn Landscape, LLC.
According to its Web site, the services it provides include landscape design, installation and maintenance, hydroseeding, masonry, excavation and drainage.
“We are all organic as far as what we do and what we use,” he said, regarding the services he provides for his customers and the products he uses. He noted, however, that they may not choose to be “all organic” in what they do with their own property.
According to his proposal, Mr. Bruzzi would like to use the first floor of the house on the property for retail and other uses, including a refreshment and activity area. The second floor would be used as office space by Dirk Sabin, a landscape designer based in Washington, and a library where visitors can browse horticultural books.
Mr. Bruzzi would create an office for his own use in the barn on the property, which would also store supplies, after that structure is renovated.
A patio area off of the house would also be used for activities that would be “family oriented and instructional,” Mr. Bruzzi said.
“People could come and learn about plants, pot plants or have it done for them, see how they work in a landscape, and the plants would be what are local within a few states,” he said. “They could come and do a craft, maybe even have a group do a project or have a potting activity. We plan to have different horticultural classes there.”
“I want it to be just a different place,” he said. “There would still be things like planters and mulch along with other supplies for sale, but visitors could wander around and stay awhile and see designs for ornamental and display gardens and masonry as well.”
Mr. Bruzzi said he sees the current proposal as “a small start” to fulfilling his dream on the five+-acre parcel, which is located across from Northville Fire Department on Route 202.
Commission members want more information about how the area by the river would be used and landscaped, as the property, citing 100-year-flood plain concerns.
Mr. Bruzzi said he thinks some residents in the area might be opposed to the proposal, particularly since he plans to serve food there.
“I’m thinking more of a café-like setup. I’m not going to be putting a deli here,” he said.
He said what he would like to see happen is for the Northville area to become more a destination for people to visit.
“My property is right next to The Silo,” he said, referring to Hunt Hill Farm. “There are shops here and the Northville Market. This would be one more place for people to come.”
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