TicketNetwork gets OK for driveway

By Suzanne Carlson
Journal Inquirer
Published: Saturday, July 9, 2011 1:09 AM EDT

VERNON — TicketNetwork Inc. has received approval to build a small driveway and 12-space parking lot on a vacant parcel adjacent to its Bolton Road headquarters, despite the company’s plans to relocate to the former Gerber facility in South Windsor.

TicketNetwork CEO Donald J. Vaccaro told the Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday that he wanted parking on the 37-acre lot for employees to access a running track and hiking trails there, and was willing to cut back his original request for 34 spaces.

The PZC unanimously approved the revised plan with several conditions, but Vaccaro said that, “it’s going to be awhile” before construction can begin because the state Transportation Department also needs to sign off on the project, located at 60 South Frontage Road.

At no point during the hearing did Vaccaro or commission members address a statement he made on May 26 that the company was relocating to South Windsor and is currently in the process of transferring employees to the new facility. It’s unclear why the driveway and parking lot are necessary if the company is going to, as Vaccaro said in the written statement, “relocate our offices to a business-friendly locale which will allow us to house all of our employees under one roof.”

Town Planner Leonard K. Tundermann, who was absent from the meeting due to illness, requested an advisory opinion from Town Attorney Harold Cummings regarding the original 34-space proposal. In a memorandum dated June 17, Cummings wrote that the application, “is invalid as a matter of law, in that, it does not conform to the Vernon Zoning Regulations.”

But issues such as the fact that the application was technically filed under TicketNetwork Inc. while the 37-acre parcel is owned by another of Vaccaro’s companies, TicketNetwork Forest LLC, were dismissed after discussions with Vaccaro and town staff, Cummings said.

Concerns over the lack of a specified “principal use” for the vacant parcel, which would allow for an “accessory use” parking lot, were also resolved with the reduction in lot size.

In response to questioning by commission members, Vaccaro acknowledged he rides his personal motorcycles, ATVs, and other gas-powered vehicles on the property — two-thirds of which is legally classified as designated forest land through which the Tankerhoosen River runs. He agreed, however, not to invite others to use the property for such purposes and restrict employee use to passive recreational activities.

Vaccaro also agreed to comply with recommendations from the Conservation Commission, which asked for regular maintenance of the parking lot’s drainage system, and the Traffic Authority, which stipulated that the lot be gated and locked to prevent it being used by anyone other than TicketNetwork employees.