Danbury Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting – July 9, 2026
Danbury Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting – July 9, 2026
The Danbury Zoning Board of Appeals convened at 7:00 PM on Thursday, July 9, 2026, in City Council Chambers at 155 Deer Hill Avenue. Chairman Juan Reeves presided. The board unanimously approved minutes from the May 28, 2026 meeting. Three applications were addressed: a variance for solar array landscaping (26-10), a variance for a residential addition (26-11), and a continued variance for a flashing sign (26-09). All votes were unanimous.
Consent Calendar
- Unanimous approval of meeting minutes from May 28, 2026.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke in favor or opposition for any application.
Discussion Items
- Application 26-10 – 65 Sandpit Road (ELC Energy Solutions): Douglas McLaughlin requested a variance from Zoning Section 8C3B1 to eliminate the requirement for at least one tree per parking lot island to accommodate a solar array carport. He proposed removing both trees from four of eight islands and trimming/pruning trees on two other islands, maintaining a total of eight Bradford pear trees. The fire marshal required a 10-foot clear perimeter around the arrays. Board members asked about trimming versus removal on certain islands; the applicant could not answer immediately due to the absence of the design engineer. No public comment.
- Application 26-11 – 9 Bronson Road (aka 2 Baxter Drive): Alex Bellina, representing the Bonastales, requested a rear yard variance (from 35 feet to 20.1 feet) and an increase in maximum building coverage (from 20% to 20.7%) to construct a 640-square-foot addition connecting the existing house to a detached garage. The existing garage is structurally unsound, and the lot is legally non-conforming and undersized. The addition would include a first-floor garage and a second-floor playroom. Letters of support from two neighbors were submitted. Board members asked about square footage and future plans; the applicant confirmed no further expansion is planned.
- Application 26-09 – 70 Newtown Road (ShopRite Singhari Family Markets) – Continued from May 28, 2026: Russ Hasman of National Sign Corporation and Joe Singhari presented a variance for a pylon sign with a message center that changes content at intervals of no less than 2.5 minutes (sections 8E5B and 8E6D). At the previous hearing, board members observed that the existing sign at the Padanaram store had a message hold of about 15 seconds instead of the approved 2.5 minutes. Mr. Hasman reported that the hold time was corrected to 3 minutes the next day due to software limitations, and new software will allow the exact 2.5-minute interval. Administrative password locks will prevent unauthorized changes. Mr. Singhari apologized and committed to compliance. Board member Keegan Williamson requested affidavits from the owners to ensure compliance at both stores.
Key Outcomes
- Application 26-10 (65 Sandpit Road): Motion to approve the variance under Section 8C3B1 to eliminate landscape requirements for parking island trees for the solar array carport. The board found the variance is the minimum necessary and will not adversely affect public health, safety, and welfare. Motion passed unanimously.
- Application 26-11 (9 Bronson Road): Motion to approve variances to increase maximum building coverage from 20% to 20.7% and reduce rear setback from 35 feet to 20.1 feet for the construction of an addition. The board found the variance will not adversely affect public health, safety, and welfare. Motion passed unanimously.
- Application 26-09 (70 Newtown Road): Motion to approve the variance to permit an illuminated sign to change content at intervals of no less than 2.5 minutes. The approval is subject to the submission of an affidavit from the owner ensuring compliance at both the Padanaram and Newtown Road stores. Motion passed unanimously.
- The next regular meeting is scheduled for July 23, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the City of Danbury Zoning Board of Appeals meeting held here today tonight at City Hall 155 Deer Hill Avenue in the City Council Chambers. Thursday, July 9th, 7 p.m. My name is Juan Reeves, the chairman of the board. I'm gonna start off with roll call. Keegan Williamson. Present. Peter Delusha. Present. Jacob Williams? Present. And Barry Rickard. Present. Do I have a motion from the board to accept the meeting minutes of May 28th, 2026? I make a motion to accept the minutes from May 28th, 2026. Do I have a second? Second. All in favor, signify by saying yay. Yes. Yay. Any opposed? No. Meeting minutes passes uh unanimously. The uh next regular meeting is scheduled for July 23rd, 2026. Do I have a motion from the board to open the uh applications present on the agenda for tonight's hearing for public session? I make a motion to open public hearing for application 26-10, 65 Sandpitch Road and 26-11, 9 Bronson Road, also known as 2 Baxter Drive, and continue public hearing for application 26 09 70 New Town Road. Second oh, sorry. Second it all in favor, signify signify by saying uh yay. Yay. All right. If I can have the applicant for application 26-10 present themselves to the board, if you can just please sign your name and uh state your name and address for the record. I'm Douglas McLaughlin. Uh my personal address or business address. Uh 31 Newtown Road. I'm sorry, that's 31 PEX Lane, Newtown, Connecticut. What's that? Uh good evening. I am Doug McLaughlin. I am with ELC Energy Solutions. Thank you for hearing us tonight. As our application indicates, we are asking for a variance on zoning section 8C3B1, which requires at least one tree of a certain diameter to be planted on each parking lot island. There are eight islands in this parking lot at the site, and each island has two um uh Bradford pear trees. The growth of these trees will significantly impact the production of the solar arrays and present a potential safety risk when growing underneath and around the solar arrays and car ports. There's also a fire code that requires a 10-foot clear and clear perimeter around the airway arrays to mitigate the risk of associated and unwanted growth too close to the structure and panels. In order to satisfy all codes, we are proposing to remove both trees from four of the islands, and we can significantly trim and prune two other islands to maintain a safe and clear perimeter. With this plan, we will maintain eight Bradford pear trees on four of the parking lot islands. So I will we will not we will not maintain a tree on each island. We will still maintain proper quantities of trees for the entire parking area and its islands. We can also plant some ground cover on those islands that have no tree the trees completely removed to maintain some organic growth and aesthetic. That is our request.
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