OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Danbury Planning Commission Meeting - April 16, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, April 16, 2026
BodyDanbury, Connecticut
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, April 16, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 36:26

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

And thank you, uh everyone.

0:01

Good evening and welcome to the April 15th, 2026 meeting of the Danbury Planning Commission.

0:07

We'll open with the roll call.

0:08

Mr.

0:08

Kyokio.

0:11

Here.

0:12

There he is.

0:13

Ms.

0:14

Hofstetter.

0:15

Here.

0:16

Mr.

0:16

Nazario.

0:18

Here.

0:19

We don't have any alternates to see.

0:21

And Chairman Finalti is here.

0:23

We do have a quorum.

0:24

Joe, anything on our newest member.

0:28

You're on mute.

0:29

You're muted.

0:32

You're muted, Joe.

0:33

Sorry.

0:34

I'll get I have to contact the mayor's office to get to contact her because apparently she didn't realize it meant you had to come to the meetings, you know.

0:42

Oh, okay.

0:42

I'll just leave it at that.

0:44

Okay, no problem.

0:46

Um, let me uh get the Zoom intro um out of the way.

0:49

This meeting of the Danbury Planning Commission is being held on Zoom as a virtual meeting.

0:53

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.

1:03

You can participate via Zoom and see the audio and the video, or you can call in by phone and participate via audio only.

1:10

Please be aware that we may have to mute your microphone or telephone to avoid an echo or some other background noise.

1:16

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.

1:29

As always, if you have any questions on how to participate in the meeting, please contact the City of Danbury Planning and Zoning Office.

1:38

As a reminder, the entire meeting will be posted on and can be seen on the City of Danbury website.

1:43

We will follow the posted agenda as per standard practice.

1:46

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.

1:57

Finally, please remember that technology glitches sometimes do occur.

2:00

Please be patient if that happens.

2:05

Okay.

2:06

Um first item on our agenda is acceptance of the minutes.

2:10

Uh Commission members, the uh the minutes of the April 1st, 2026 meeting were previously distributed.

2:16

Unless there's any comments or discussion, I will entertain a motion to accept those minutes.

2:22

Mr.

2:23

Chairman, so moved.

2:24

Thank you, Helen.

2:25

Do I hear a second?

2:27

A second.

2:28

Thank you, Mr.

2:29

Nazario.

2:29

Is there any discussion?

2:31

All in favor, please say aye.

2:33

Aye.

2:34

Opposed.

2:35

The minutes are accepted.

2:36

Let the record show our next meeting is scheduled for May 6, 2026.

2:41

Please note your calendars accordingly.

2:44

Um, we have no new public hearings this evening, so we're going to move right to our um continuation of public hearings agenda.

2:51

Item one, Danbury Mill Plain Realty LLC.

2:55

Application for special exception, site plan approval for automobile service stations, service garage, and convenience market, sections 3e2, 3e9, 5B2B1, and 9 with trip generation greater than 500 vehicle trips per day in the CA80 zone, 85 mil plane road D14013, special exception number 805.

3:20

Additional information on this application was previously distributed.

3:24

And um, we have heard quite a bit of testimony on this.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████████████████51%
Procedural███████████████████████26%
Zoning Regulations████████████████████23%
Summary of Proceedings

Danbury Planning Commission Meeting - April 16, 2026

The Danbury Planning Commission met on April 16, 2026, to consider a continuation of a public hearing for a gas station and convenience store redevelopment, approve a floodplain permit for an EV charging station, and act on several sewer and water main extension referrals. All actions were taken unanimously.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the minutes from the April 1, 2026 meeting. (Motion by Ms. Hofstetter, second by Mr. Nazario, unanimous)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public spoke for or against any agenda item. The applicant's team (Attorney Josh Pedrera, engineers Larry Webster, Connor McNamara, and Muhammadul Hassan) presented updates and answered commission questions during the continuation of the public hearing for the Mill Plain Realty application.

Discussion Items

  • Continuation of Public Hearing – Danbury Mill Plain Realty LLC (85 Mill Plain Road): The applicant sought special exception and site plan approval for an automobile service station, service garage, and convenience market in the CA80 zone. The project involves a pre-existing gas station with two dispensers. Attorney Pedrera reported that all outstanding staff comments from planning, construction, engineering, and sanitary sewer had been addressed through revised plans and updated applications. A traffic engineer presented queuing analysis showing 8 feet of backup in the AM peak and 23 feet in the PM peak, indicating no significant issue. The DOT driveway width requirement (18 ft) remained unresolved, with the applicant narrowing to 25 ft and awaiting DOT response. Commissioner Hofstetter suggested signage to encourage customers to move vehicles after fueling to avoid blocking access. The public hearing was closed unanimously and moved to old business for discussion.
  • Revised Floodplain Permit – Danbury Mall LLC (Rivian EV Charging Station, 7 Backis Avenue): Staff explained that 10 EV charging stations are to be installed in the mall ring road area, which lies within an unnumbered A flood zone. The base flood elevation is 454.5 ft, and all proposed grading is at least one foot above that elevation. The site is in the floodplain by area but outside it by elevation. The commission approved the revised floodplain permit with standard conditions.
  • Old Business – Danbury Mill Plain Realty LLC: After closing the public hearing, the commission discussed the application. Commissioners expressed support subject to conditions including installation of a painted crosswalk at the rear and additional signage. Staff was directed to prepare a resolution with those conditions.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: Revised floodplain permit for Danbury Mall LLC (Rivian EV charging station). Motion by Ms. Hofstetter, second by Mr. Kyokio, unanimous.
  • Directed Staff: To prepare a resolution approving the Danbury Mill Plain Realty LLC application with conditions (crosswalk, signage) for a future vote.
  • Positive Referrals (all unanimous):
    • 8-24 referral for sewer/water main extension on Damia Drive (to serve 12 previously approved units).
    • 8-24 referral for sewer main extension at 48 East Gate Road (single-family dwelling).
    • 8-24 referral for sewer main extension at 85 Worcester Heights Road (Danbury Proton facility).
    • 8-24 referral for renewal of sewer/water main extension on Great Plain Road and Great Meadow Road, with density limited to 63 single-family dwelling units.
  • Next Meeting: Scheduled for May 6, 2026. An 83A referral regarding the master plan at The Reserve will be discussed at that meeting.

Note: The transcript indicates the meeting was called on April 15, 2026, but the official date provided for this summary is April 16, 2026. The actions and discussion are as recorded.

Meeting Transcript

And thank you, uh everyone. Good evening and welcome to the April 15th, 2026 meeting of the Danbury Planning Commission. We'll open with the roll call. Mr. Kyokio. Here. There he is. Ms. Hofstetter. Here. Mr. Nazario. Here. We don't have any alternates to see. And Chairman Finalti is here. We do have a quorum. Joe, anything on our newest member. You're on mute. You're muted. You're muted, Joe. Sorry. I'll get I have to contact the mayor's office to get to contact her because apparently she didn't realize it meant you had to come to the meetings, you know. Oh, okay. I'll just leave it at that. Okay, no problem. Um, let me uh get the Zoom intro um out of the way. 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 on how to participate in the meeting, please contact the City of Danbury Planning and Zoning Office. As a reminder, the entire meeting will be posted on and can be seen on the City of Danbury website. We will follow the posted agenda as 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 sometimes do occur. Please be patient if that happens. Okay. Um first item on our agenda is acceptance of the minutes. Uh Commission members, the uh the minutes of the April 1st, 2026 meeting were previously distributed. Unless there's any comments or discussion, I will entertain a motion to accept those minutes. Mr. Chairman, so moved. Thank you, Helen. Do I hear a second? A second. Thank you, Mr. Nazario. Is there any discussion? All in favor, please say aye.

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