Controversial lakeside house gets nod from town


SALISBURY — Dean and Margaret Haubrich will likely get the go-ahead to proceed with construction of their Lake Wononscopomuc home after the Planning and Zoning Commission approved their revised site plan by a vote of 4-1 at the commission’s Oct. 16 meeting.

After revisions to their site plan, the Haubrichs met all the requirements of the lake overlay protection zone, Zoning Administrator Nancy Brusie said in an interview. The Haubrichs have now sufficiently addressed allegations that they and their builder, Fred Laser, exceeded the footprint of the original home.

They also now satisfy the zoning code’s requirement that total impervious surfaces on the property be less than 10 percent — in part because they took their plans for a garage out of the revised site plan. In addition, the Haubrichs have agreed to take down a stone patio. A stop-work order issued last month will likely be lifted after consultations with the town’s legal counsel, Brusie said.

Planning and Zoning Chairman Jon Higgins, along with members Marty Whalen, Cristin Rich and Michael Klemmens, all voted to approve the Haubrichs’ revised plans.Member Dan Dwyer voted no.

The Haubrichs’ neighbor, Ann Marie Nonkin, claims the Haubrichs’ home at 144 Millerton Road has been built without proper permits, is too tall and is in violation of the town’s own zoning code, which she says the town has failed to enforce. In June, she asked the Planning and Zoning Commission to revoke the Haubrichs’ zoning permit, which was issued late last year.

In July, a Litchfield Superior Court judge denied a motion by the Haubrichs to dismiss Nonkin’s case seeking an injunction against further building. The commission’s latest action will not change Nonkin’s legal appeal, she said in an interview.

"It’s a good start that the garage and terrace are gone," Nonkin said. "But we are still pursuing the injunction."

Nonkin said a hearing on the injunction is scheduled for Oct. 22 in Litchfield Superior Court.

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