Danbury Planning Commission Meeting – February 22, 2026
Danbury Planning Commission Meeting – February 22, 2026
The Danbury Planning Commission held a regular virtual meeting on February 22, 2026, via Zoom. Members present: Chairman Finaldi, Mr. Kyokio, Miss Hostetter, and Mr. Nazario (quorum). No alternates were seated. The minutes of the February 4, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously. The next regular meeting is scheduled for March 4, 2026.
Discussion Items
1. Continuation of Public Hearings
- BRT Sconset LLC (Application for revised special exception and site plan for cluster development at 10 Damia Drive): The applicant requested a 14-day extension via email from Stephen Sullivan of CCA. The commission unanimously continued this matter to the March 4, 2026 meeting.
- Danbury Mill Plain Realty LLC (Application for special exception and site plan for automobile service station, service garage, and convenience market at 85 Mill Plain Road, with trip generation >500 vehicle trips/day in the CA80 zone): Attorney Josh Pedrera (Cohen & Wolf) introduced the project on behalf of owner Sammy Jamal. The proposal includes eliminating the existing repair/body shop, upgrading the fueling facility with a new canopy, new concrete pad, piping, and sidewalks, while keeping the existing underground fiberglass tanks (installed 2005, expected 21 years old). The applicant noted that the tanks have a 30-year allowable lifespan under Connecticut DEEP and can receive a 10-year extension, making them usable for 19 more years. Replacing them would cost approximately $100,000. Traffic engineer Steve Allman (Banish) prepared a report showing added trips of about 40 in the morning peak and 50 in the afternoon peak, with levels of service A and D. Staff comments from city traffic engineer Vera (dated January 22, 2026) focused on pedestrian safety and ingress/egress, noting that traffic capacity on Mill Plain Road is a state responsibility. The applicant agreed to have the traffic engineer present at the next meeting. Commission members Bob and Helen asked about tank history/testing (Larry Webster, Banish, detailed testing protocols), site layout (presented via screen share by Connor McCamara, Banish), traffic flow (east entrance in, west exit out, unidirectional), pump layout (4 dispensers), pedestrian access from rear parking, snow storage, and facade enhancements (architectural plans to be addressed). The public hearing was continued to March 4, 2026, for full presentations and staff reports. Councilman Rotello indicated he would provide comment at the continued hearing.
2. 824 Referrals (City Council Agenda Items)
- Lease Renewal for Tango Yankee LLC (Business Aircraft Center Inc. at Danbury Airport, facility behind fire company on Kenosha Avenue): Staff had no objections. The commission voted unanimously for a positive referral.
- Water Extension for 119 Franklin Street (Ridgewood Country Club): Extension of water main to connect to a new hydrant and an existing six-inch private service line. Staff had no objections. Positive referral approved unanimously.
3. Other Matters – Five-Year Extension of Site Plan Approval
- Danbury Proton Facility, 85 Worcester Heights Road (SE 781): Originally approved July 2021, site plan approval was set to expire July 2026. Attorney Megan Miles and Stephen Courtney (Danbury Proton) explained that construction was delayed due to the time required to obtain a Certificate of Need from the state, which was received January 17, 2025, after a multi-year process (initial denial, refiling, approval). The estimated 18-month construction period cannot be completed within the original five-year window. Staff had no objection. The commission granted a five-year extension unanimously, with well-wishes.
Key Outcomes
- BRT Sconset LLC continued to March 4, 2026.
- Danbury Mill Plain Realty LLC public hearing continued to March 4, 2026; applicant to provide updated plans, staff reports, and traffic engineer presentation.
- Positive 824 referrals approved for both the Tango Yankee lease renewal and the Ridgewood Country Club water extension.
- Five-year extension of site plan approval for Danbury Proton Facility granted unanimously.
- Meeting adjourned at approximately [time not specified in transcript].
Meeting Transcript
Great, Joanne, and thank you and welcome everybody to the February 18th, 2026 meeting of the Danbury Planning Commission. We'll open with the roll call. Mr. Kyokio. Here. Miss Hostetter? Yeah. Mr. Nazario. Here. Okay, we have uh that's it for regular members. We have no alternates to seat, and Chairman Finaldi is here. So we do have a quorum this evening. Um before I get too deep into the agenda, um, I just wanted to let everybody know that uh on the matter of um BRT Sconset LLC. It's shown as number one under our continuation of public hearings. Uh, we did get a request from the applicant earlier today um to uh move this matter until our next meeting. So if you're tuning in for the matter of BRT Sconset LLC, um please know that we will not be hearing any testimony or anything else from the applicant on that particular application this evening. I'll I'll read the actual email we received at the appropriate time uh when we get to it on the agenda. Uh let the record show the next meeting is uh regular meeting of the Danbury Planning Commission scheduled for March 4th, 2026. Please mark your calendars. Um the minutes of the February 4th, 2026 meeting were previously distributed. Unless there's any uh discussion, I'll entertain a motion to accept those minutes. Mr. Chairman, I'll make a motion to accept those minutes. Thank you, Bob. Do I hear a second? Second. Second, Helen, any discussion? All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed. The minutes are accepted. I'd like to read the standard Zoom intro before we get started. This meeting of the Danbury Planning Commission is being held on Zoom as a virtual meeting. Even though this meeting is a virtual meeting, members of the public and interested parties continue to have the opportunity to participate in the meeting in a couple of different ways. You can participate via Zoom and see the audio and the video, or you can call in by phone and participate via audio only. Please be aware that we may have to mute your microphone or telephone to avoid an echo or some other background noise. Instructions on how to participate in the meeting appear on the City of Danbury website, and all of the documents and materials that apply to the matters to be discussed during this meeting, including the agenda, are also available on the City of Danbury website. As always, if you have any questions regarding how to participate in the meeting, please contact the City of Danbury Planning and Zoning Department. As a reminder, the entire meeting will be posted on and can be seen on the City of Danbury website. We'll follow the posted agenda per standard practice. If prior to the meeting, any questions or comments on agenda items were submitted via email to the planning and zoning department. Those comments will be read during the appropriate portion of the meeting. Finally, please remember that technology glitches do sometimes occur. Please be patient if that happens. Okay, looking at our agenda. We have no new public hearings this evening. And the first item shown under our continuation agenda is BRT Sconset LLC, application for revised special exception, revised site plan approval for an existing previously approved cluster development, the Ridgetop, sections 4A2B3, 4A6 in the RA40 zone, 10 Damia Drive, F09036, special exception number 589. Um I mentioned that we received an email earlier. This was an email to Allie from Stephen Sullivan.
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