Town Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting - September 9, 2025
Town Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting - September 9, 2025
The Windsor Town Planning and Zoning Commission held a regular hybrid meeting on September 9, 2025, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers, Town Hall. The commission addressed multiple site plan revisions, special use reapprovals, public hearings, and text amendments. Key actions included approval of a 33,000-square-foot warehouse at 84 Ezra Silva Lane, denial of a group home special use at 27 Sinclair Street, approval of an adaptive reuse text amendment, and approval of several special use permits with conditions.
Consent Calendar
- 3.9 Site Plan Revisions (approved administratively): 550 Marshall Phelps Road (silos, Bodum USA), 48 Skitchewaug Street (pavilion, Town of Windsor), 1101 Kennedy Road (solar-powered scoreboard, Hofsiss), 100 Helmsford Way (site modifications, Amazon), 50 Sage Park Road (driveway expansion, Town of Windsor).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public Hearing – 67 Rainbow Road (slide): No public comment in opposition to the slide itself. A letter from neighbor Doreen McCarthy (read into record) expressed concerns about traffic, headlights, and exhaust from the adjacent Halloween drive-through event, but the applicant, Frank Campidi, refuted the claims, stating no queuing occurred on the road and headlights could not reach her home due to distance and orientation. The commission noted the letter pertained to a separate previously approved special use.
- Public Hearing – 445 Poquonock Avenue (subdivision/flag lots): Summer Lockwood and Sebastian Barco (owners of 475 Poquonock Avenue) spoke in opposition, citing concerns about wildlife habitat (eastern box turtle), stormwater runoff, privacy, and potential vacant houses. They stated the property had been quiet and wooded. Applicant Christian Alford countered that no endangered species were identified in NDDB studies, stormwater would be managed via infiltration, and homes would be built only when buyers are found.
- Public Hearing – 43 Court Street (mental health clinic): Joe Ghazzi (owner of 44-46 Court Street) and Jacinta Williams (owner of 40 Court Street) spoke in opposition. Ghazzi cited past negative experiences with mental health tenants (disruptive behavior, late hours, parking issues) and questioned the applicant's representation. Williams reported an incident of a missing toddler from the building. Applicant Clara Bell Rosario clarified her practice serves low-acuity clients, operates 9-6, and has had no police calls. A member of the public, Leonardo Hanvell, spoke in support, praising the service.
Discussion Items
- Site Plan – 84 Ezra Silva Lane: Applicant TJ Baresi and owner Joan Novick presented a 33,000 sq ft industrial building with loading docks and office space. The building will be accessed via an existing driveway from 60 Ezra Silva Lane; no new curb cuts. Stormwater management includes infiltration trenches and a detention basin handling up to a 100-year storm. A waiver of sidewalks was requested as Ezra Silva Lane is a local road with no existing sidewalks. Staff recommended approval subject to final review.
- Planner's Report (Mitch Seeley):
- Update on the Day Hill Road Design Development District text amendment (to be submitted for October public hearing).
- Founders Square: North and South buildings CO’d; West Building broke ground. Beaufield Green facade expected by year-end; Pickleball facility steel erection underway; Mr. Sal's restaurant opened in Windsor Shopping Center.
- POCD public workshop scheduled for October 2, 2025, to present survey findings and draft goals; adoption anticipated in early 2026.
- Proposed rescheduling of November 11 meeting to November 12 (Wednesday) to avoid Election Day.
Key Outcomes
- 84 Ezra Silva Lane – Sidewalk Waiver: Approved (5-0).
- 84 Ezra Silva Lane – Site Plan: Approved (5-0), subject to final staff review.
- Minutes of July 8, 2025: Approved with corrections.
- Minutes of August 12, 2025 (Special): Approved as presented.
- 27 Sinclair Street – Special Use (Group Home): Denied without prejudice to renewal within 12 months (5-0) due to failure to post sign and applicant non-responsiveness.
- Text Amendment – Adaptive Reuse (Section 8.6L): Approved (5-0) to allow adaptive reuse of vacant/underutilized industrial facilities within designated focus areas, with limits on retail and uses.
- 67 Rainbow Road – Special Use (Temporary Slide): Approved (5-0) subject to resolution of outstanding staff comments (town manager approval, fire marshal access, state inspection).
- 6 Spring Street – Special Use Reapproval (Office): Approved (5-0) for 10 years, subject to resolution of fire marshal and property boundary/fence issues with neighbor.
- 226 Broad Street – Special Use Reapproval (Coffee House): Approved (5-0) for 10 years, pending resolution of dumpster screening.
- 494 Windsor Avenue – Special Use (Restaurant/Entertainment): Public hearing postponed to October 2025 at applicant's request.
- 445 Poquonock Avenue – Subdivision: Approved (5-0), subject to final staff review.
- 445 Poquonock Avenue – Sidewalk Waiver: Approved (5-0) due to engineering challenges on the west side of Poquonock Avenue.
- 445 Poquonock Avenue – Flag Lots (Special Use): Approved (5-0) with conditions: landscaping to screen new houses, resolution of all outstanding staff comments, and installation of sprinklers.
- 43 Court Street – Special Use (Mental Health Clinic): Approved (5-0) for a period of one year, with conditions to address parking (striping, ADA compliance) and all other outstanding staff comments.
- 280 Pigeon Hill Road – Special Use (Accessory Building): Approved (5-0) to allow a 24x24 ft garage (576 sq ft) for personal storage, pending resolution of engineering and health department comments.
- Text Amendment – Day Hill Road Area Sites (Section 14.2.3A(1)(b)(i)(4)): Approved (5-0) to allow conversion of trailer parking spaces to loading docks via special use, capped at 25 total loading docks, for existing buildings under 200,000 sq ft built before January 1, 2025, and located at least 200 ft from Day Hill Road on the south side. Requires traffic impact analysis.
Next Steps
- Staff to finalize all approvals subject to conditions.
- November 11 regular meeting rescheduled to November 12, 2025.
- POCD public workshop on October 2, 2025.
- Giovanni's restaurant special use hearing postponed to October meeting.
Meeting Transcript
I'll call the planning accounting commission meeting of September to order. At this point, Mitch, would you uh fill in the people that are in zooming in on how they handle this? If there's anyone from the public who would like to address the commission, you may do so by raising your hand on your computer if your device has a microphone capability. By selecting the participants icon on the zoom menu bar and then clicking raise hand or by dialing star nine on your phone. When you are called on, you'll be prompted that you are now unmuted. Please state your name and address for clear communication. We ask that you do not place the call on speakerphone. Thank you. Uh new business. Public communications petitions from anyone in the audience that wishes to speak to an item that is not a public hearing item this evening. Seeing no one is anybody on the commission have any uh meetings or anything they need to report on? This uh meeting of the the um plan of conservation and development um on when uh Thursday evening at 6 30 here in the council chambers the hallow room a lot of little room we'll be sending out a um a notification to the committee tomorrow morning. Okay, thank you. Uh we don't have a zoning, we have no 824 reapprovals and revisions 3.9. Um we've approved several applications since our last meeting. Uh the first one for 550 Marshall Phelps. Uh this was to add silos. Um this was the I zone bowed them. Uh the second one was for 48 Schietchewog Street to install a pavilion and the R8 residential zone, uh Town of Windsor application, and then the third is the 1101 Kennedy Road. Install solar powered scoreboard, NZ Zone. Um Hof Sys was the applicant. Um, but the correct school. Yeah, I'm just gonna say that was the correct school, right? Uh yeah, uh to install a scoreboard for a soccer field. Uh the next application was for 100 Helmsford Way, uh site modifications, I zone, Amazon, and then 50 Sage Park Road, a driveway expansion, the NZ zone, town of Windsor, and that was at the high school. Yes. Okay, thank you. All right, our first tonight is the site plan for 84 Ezra Silva Lane. Good evening for the record. My name is TJ Baresi. I'm a licensed engineer in Lance Rayor. I'm the principal owner of Baresi Associates right here in Windsor. Office located on Pequonic Avenue. Tonight representing Ezra Silva Lane LLC, who's seeking a site plan permit to construct a 33,000 square foot industrial building related infrastructure at 84 Ezosilva. Subject property is a vacant piece of land located on the east side of Ezra Silva Lane, immediately south of number 60. If you're looking at sheet number one, it has this information on it. Applicants apply to construct a 33,000 square foot industrial use building with loading docks and related infrastructure. The size of 5.3 acre parcel of land located in the I-1 in general industrial district. Property can be accessed off as a silver lane or by way of an existing broken bituminous access drive across the lane of number 60. Look at sheet number two of the existing conditions. Properties predominantly rectangular in shape, has approximately 200 feet of frontage and more than a thousand feet of depth. Parcel is mostly open and vacant. The westerly 140 feet of property adjacent to Ezosilva is vegetated. As you can see, it says wooded vegetation. Central portion is a formally wooded open area, which is approximately 600 feet in depth. The central portion is partially developed with an outdoor storage area in a storm detention system, which was primitive for the developed portion of number 60 as a silver lane, which is immediately to our north. Topographically it's generally flat. There is a gentle easterly and southerly slope away from Ezra Silva towards the abutta to the south and an existing weltland corridor to the east. As I mentioned, there is an in the wetland soils on the property. A north-south wetland corridor exists along the rear property line.
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