Old Lyme ― Neighbors are continuing to decry what could become the fourth storage facility located within three-tenths of a mile at the entrance to the town’s eclectic shoreline.

The Zoning Commission on Monday closed its public hearing on the special permit application for 250 Shore Road after hearing from project sponsors and opponents three times since October.

The application from Kids Realty and Pond Road LLC Ventures, whose officers are Sal Russo and Christopher Calvanese, calls for three buildings with 12 units each on 3.7 acres. Each building is 28 feet high with a sloped roof.

Carolyn Miranda, a resident of nearby Biscayne Boulevard and a vocal opponent of the tenor of commercial development on Route 156, said another storage facility doesn’t belong on the strip that mingles businesses, private homes and cottages.

The area is the subject of a revitalization push under the Shoreline Gateway Committee formed last year to create a vision statement for an area that until now has been overlooked.

“Nothing of that size needs to be across the street from our $650,000 to $1 million homes,” Miranda said about the 31,500 square feet of buildings. She cited water, noise and light pollution along with traffic as concerns.

Zoning Enforcement Officer Eric Knapp compared the scale of the buildings to the first floor of the Old Lyme Shopping Center on Halls Road, which comes in at 21,564 square feet.

The town's zoning regulations allow self-storage facilities in the commercial district as long as they’re a single story with a 15-foot screening buffer. There are two facilities in operation now at 232 and 240 Shore Road, and one approved for 224 Shore Road.

The special permit process gives the commission discretion to approve projects with conditions to protect public health, safety, convenience and property values.

A previous proposal from the same applicants failed to garner commission approval in May. The vote did not specify reasons the vote didn’t pass, but discussion indicated concerns about access for emergency services and fears that the facility, with its 14-foot garage doors on each unit, was better suited for an industrial park.

The applicant submitted the current proposal to the commission on July 10, three days after they appealed the original rejection to the state Superior Court.

Marjorie Shansky, the attorney for the applicants, said the building is shorter than the 35-foot maximum authorized in the regulations. She described the sloped roof with dormers as an effort to make the building more visually appealing.

The current proposal includes smaller, 12-foot doors to address concerns about the industrial nature of the previous version, she said.

In response to questions from the commission, Knapp noted other types of businesses allowed in the zone do not have a one-story restriction and could conceivably build a three-story building and still fall within the 35-foot limitation, seven feet higher than the storage facility.

Project engineer Bob Doane said the ceiling is 14-feet high to accommodate car enthusiasts who’ve asked for the enhanced clearance.

“If somebody wants to put a storage area above a car, for example, what is the problem with doing that,” he said.

The lease submitted as part of the special permit application specifies units may not be used as a workshop or for any type of repairs.

Concerns about hazardous materials were also raised during the public hearing.

Resident Denise Savageau acknowledged a prohibition in the lease on anything identified as toxic under local, state or federal law. But she said that’s not enough to ease concerns about pollution.

“Cars leak,” she said.

The Connecticut Water Company, which operates its Sound View bedrock well 200 feet from the proposed site, said in a letter last week the proposal is acceptable given the distance from the well. But the agency requested a spill plan be instituted and spill equipment be available on site during construction.

Shansky confirmed the applicant would supply the plan and equipment.

Public hearing minutes show the current proposal includes a one-way entrance and exit and more information on how to handle storm water runoff than the previous application. A traffic report commissioned by the applicant found there will be limited impact on traffic at the proposed facility location, according to the project engineer.

Doane on Monday distributed a memo in response to concerns from the fire marshal signaling the applicants’ “intent to comply” with the fire marshal’s recommendations. They include providing emergency responders with a code or key to the gate, providing fire lane signage and ensuring no outside storage.

The commission has 65 days to render a decision.

e.regan@theday.com