Opinion ID: 1965226
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Temple Design

Text: With respect to the commission's conclusion that the design of the proposed temple violated § 8.04.770 of the regulations because it was not in harmony with the design of other buildings in the vicinity, we agree with the trial court that this was not a valid reason for denying the application. [C]ourts have been reluctant to uphold the strict enforcement, against religious uses, of regulations that require special exception uses to be in architectural harmony with the surrounding neighborhood. Daughters of St. Paul, Inc. v. Zoning Board of Appeals, 17 Conn.App. at 53, 67, 549 A.2d 1076 (1988). As the trial court aptly noted in the present case, strict enforcement of such regulations effectively would prevent [any] `nontraditional' non-Judeo/Christian religion from building its temple in the town. . . . Our review of the architectural renderings that the society had submitted to the commission reveals that the proposed temple is a two-story building with stone facing and a low pagoda-type tile roof. Although the design concededly contains certain details that are not typical of buildings found in a rural New England setting, the proposed temple is generally attractive, relatively modest and not entirely out of character for a place of religious worship in such a neighborhood. Accordingly, we agree with the society that the trial court correctly concluded that the design of the proposed temple did not constitute a valid reason for denying the society's application for a special exception.