Windsor Planning & Zoning Commission Special Meeting – March 18, 2025

The Town Planning and Zoning Commission held a hybrid special meeting on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers, Town Hall, 275 Broad Street, Windsor, CT. The agenda covered a bed-and-breakfast pre-application, administrative site plan revisions, a site plan waiver, a planner's report including an FFL discussion, acceptance of new applications, and public hearings on a special use reapproval and a zoning text amendment. All formal votes were unanimous.

Administrative Revisions and Minutes

• The Commission reviewed four 3.9 revisions: 1075 Kennedy Road (drive-up stall expansion, PUD zone), 100 Helmsford Way (EV charging stations, I zone), 1701 Poquonock Avenue (Welch Park rehabilitation and courts, NZ zone), and 28 Cook Hill Road (groundwater removal system). No questions or objections were raised, and no separate vote appears in the transcript.
• Minutes of the February 11, 2025 meeting were approved 5-0 after amending one sentence to refer to a 'paper street' noted in a 1970s town attorney letter.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public spoke during the public communications period.
• During the public hearings, no audience members registered to testify; testimony was limited to the applicants and staff.

Pre-Application Scrutiny – 50 Wilton Road

• Sandra Rowe presented a proposal for a two-room bed and breakfast at 50 Wilton Road (R10 zone, 0.25 acres). She stated the property meets town requirements except that Wilton Road is not an arterial street. She described a three-course breakfast only, off-street parking, on-site residence in an attached in-law apartment, and no pool.
• Staff explained the regulation permits bed and breakfasts in pre-1940 structures on interior streets 'unless otherwise specified by the commission,' so the Commission has discretion. Commissioners asked questions but made no commitment. A formal application would require notifying abutters within 100 feet.

Site Plan and Waiver – 300 Lamberton Road

• Engineer Christian Alford presented a site plan for 300 Lamberton Road (I zone, 4 acres) to lower the south parking area, add loading docks and a drive-in door to the existing 34,000-square-foot building, and add screening plants. The applicant requested a waiver of Section 3.3.3E because the feeder drive would no longer provide continuous directional circulation.
• Staff recommended approval subject to final staff review, including fire marshal and engineering conditions. The Commission approved the waiver 5-0 and the site plan 5-0, subject to resolution of outstanding staff comments.

Planner's Report and FFL Discussion

• The planner reported on the first POCD public workshop at Town Hall (50+ attendees) and noted 350 survey responses as of that day; the consultant is aiming for 1,000 responses, while the planner said they are aiming for 29,000. Focus groups are planned on housing, transportation, open space, historic/cultural resources, economic development, and quality of life.
• Upcoming events mentioned: a public information meeting on the proposed FY25-26 budget on March 27 at 6:30 p.m.; a Day Hill corporate area study meeting on March 24 at 7 p.m.; Salts restaurant opening at Dudley Town Brewing soon; and the Friends of Northwest Park pancake breakfast on March 22, 8-11 a.m. The new fire marshal is Dan Beloski.
• On federal firearms licenses (FFLs) as home-based businesses, staff presented three options: not permitted, permitted by right, or permitted by special use. Staff recommended not permitted or special use. Commissioners discussed the difficulty of regulating retail sales, whether approval should be applicant-based rather than address-based, grandfathering for existing FFLs, and ATF oversight. No decision was made; staff were asked to research ATF requirements and whether zoning approval must precede an FFL application.

Application Acceptance – April 8, 2025

• The Commission accepted three new applications for the April 8 meeting: Special Use – 55 Palisado Avenue (limited-service restaurant, B2 zone); Design Development Concept Plan – 1 and 10 Targeting Centre & 465 Bloomfield Avenue (mixed-use, RC and B2 zones); and Special Use – 159 Broad Street (conversion of existing buildings to residential units, B2 zone). The continued 27 Sinclair Street group home hearing will also be heard April 8.

Public Hearings

• Special Use Reapproval – 130 Deerfield Road: Carmon Funeral Homes requested permanent reapproval of the family center/lodge special use (A zone, 3.70 acres). The applicant described more than a thousand memorial and community events over 10 years and asked that the time limit be removed. The Commission approved the reapproval 5-0 with no time limit.
• Text Amendment – Highway Transitional Design Development: Don Polland of Goman+York Property Advisors presented amendments to Sections 13.2.10A(2)(b) and 13.2.10C(2) to clarify minimum lot standards, allow drive-through windows by special use, permit parking reductions, and allow redevelopment of existing buildings within 150 feet of the limited-access highway. Staff supported the amendments after revisions, and the CRCOG referral found no conflict and commended parking flexibility. Commissioners discussed potential impacts on nearby residences, especially related to drive-throughs. The Commission approved the text amendment 5-0 as revised by staff.

Key Outcomes

• 5-0: Waiver of Section 3.3.3E for 300 Lamberton Road.
• 5-0: Site plan for 300 Lamberton Road, subject to final staff review.
• 5-0: Minutes of February 11, 2025, as amended.
• 5-0: Special use reapproval for 130 Deerfield Road with no time limit.
• 5-0: Text amendment for Highway Transitional Design Development.
• The 27 Sinclair Street special use hearing was postponed to April 8, 2025, described as the final extension.
• No decision was made on FFL home-based business regulations; additional research was requested.