Stafford, CT – September 5, 2024
During an informal discussion, the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) heard Karen Bentley’s potential plans for the old churches at 375-377 East Street. Bentley is a content creator and coach who focuses on teaching self-love, and she is interested in buying the East Street property to turn it into her home and “The Big Heart Campus.”
In a letter to the PZC she explained, "The Church, the Chapel and the land in-between the Church and the Chapel will comprise 'THE BIG HEART CAMPUS,' a compound with two structures and one open space that have multiple uses and that are cohesively linked through the them of love. The two structures are the Big Heart Center (the Church) and The Heart Museum & Chapel (the Chapel). The open space is The Pennies from Heaven Enchanted Faerie Garden (the lawn area in between the Church and the Chapel.)”
Bentley explained that she creates podcasts and webinars and occasionally teaches seminars. She would like to use the church as a studio and sometimes hold seminars for up to 20 people. She does not want to alter the church and chapel much. However, she intends to live in the house on the property, which would require some work.
Four planned changes to the church are removing pews and replacing the flooring on the first floor, reconstructing the main floor bathroom to make it handicap accessible, adding a ramp in the back, and adding Big Heart Center signage.
In the chapel, something more interesting is planned: a museum boasting what Bentley hopes will be a Guinness World Record-breaking collection of heart ornaments donated by individuals and families in remembrance of their loved ones. The museum and the faerie garden would be open to visitors Friday-Sunday during warm-weather months. Bentley says she does not expect an influx of visitors.
Her letter to the commissions says she hopes the museum will be “a one-of-a-kind ‘off-the-beaten-path’ destination for the greatest, most enduring and most endearing celebration of love.” She also said during the meeting that she hopes to use her online following to bring attention to Stafford and the healing history of the springs.
“It would be the joy of my life to do this for Stafford, and the world,” Bentley said.
Bentley’s attorney, Wendell D. Avery, told the commission he thought the reuse of the property was allowable in the AA residential zone because private schools are allowed in this zone by special permit. He argued that the museum could also be considered educational.
“Speaking for myself, I think it’s a unique and pleasant idea,” said PZC Chair Dave Palmberg. Richard Shuck, while generally supportive, said the educational angle may be the wrong way to go about getting the approvals. It could open the door to a wide variety of “educational” uses that do not quite qualify as a school with a set curriculum.
Palmberg pointed to the town’s adaptive re-uses regulations for guidance. Section 5.13 of the rules says:
The Commission may allow, by Special Permit, the adaptive-reuse conversion of structures for uses not otherwise permitted in the zoning district, provided the following elements are met:
Structure must be located in a Residential Zone.
Structure must be designated as historically significant by (a) registry in the National Register of Historic Places or the State Register of Historic Places or (b) by the Planning and Zoning Commission upon presentation by the applicant of adequate evidence of historic significance such as a Historic Resources Survey.
Architectural integrity of the structure must be preserved, and the proposed use must be in harmony with surrounding uses.
He advised Avery and Bentley to confer with the Historic Advisory Commission about the property’s historical significance. So, while the exact route to approval is still up for discussion, it looks like the PZC can expect to see a special permit application in the future to allow for the adaptive reuse of these prominent buildings.
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