Signatures, Schools, and a Side Order of Zoning 🤓
FARMINGTON — May 28, 2025. The Town Plan & Zoning Commission (TPZ) settled into Council Chambers at 7 p.m. for what Chair Scott Halstead jokingly called “May—uh—28th… that’s not a good start, is it?” Roll call confirmed a quorum, and Town Planner Shannon Rutherford reminded the room, “Full members Robert Canto and Rogia Afshar are absent; alternates Spruce Polsky and Michael Tucci will be voting tonight.”
Clearer Vision for Round Hill Square
Applicant: Dr. Paula Fang
Address: 1031 Farmington Avenue
Ask: Three new signs for her ophthalmology office buried 150 ft off Route 4.
“Many of my patients are vision-impaired and elderly,” Fang explained. “The goal is to help them identify where the office is.”
With no commissioner questions, Liz Sanford praised the “very thorough presentation.”
Vote: Approved 5-0.
From Centennial Inn to The Croft
Applicant: Brian Lemire, Paradigm Communities
Address: 5 Spring Lane
Lemire described a 12.6-sq-ft replacement panel: “We repainted the frame to brighten it up—same lighting, just the new name.”
Matthew Bandle confirmed, “There is no change to the existing illumination?” Lemire: “Not as of right now—using what’s there.”
Vote: Approved 5-0.
Preschool at the Old Malibu Fitness
Applicant: Legacy Church (15 Executive Drive)
Attorney Robert Reed said, “The community needs more preschool slots; the church will run a state-licensed program, mornings only, 40 children max.”
Commissioners probed logistics:
- Sanford: “How will kids move from classrooms to the play area?” Reed: “Through an interior door; they’ll use an existing sidewalk at the rear.”
- Polsky: “Will the outdoor fence meet state height rules?” Reed: “Yes, six feet with self-closing gates.”
Vote: Approved 5-0.
Wood Pond Garage Meets FEMA Math
Applicants: Neeraj & Jennifer Gupta
Address: 70 Wood Pond Road
The two-car garage clips the mapped floodway. Neeraj Gupta told commissioners, “Our survey shows the lowest point of the slab at 172 ft; flood elevation is 170 ft. We’re seeking a Letter of Map Amendment.”
Bandle asked about tree removal (“Zero—everything stays.”) and drainage. Rutherford required separate roof-leader pipes and volume calculations “before any building permit is signed off.”
Vote: Approved 5-0, subject to ten technical conditions.
Contractor Yard Continued
The Richard Jones change-of-zone hearing (New Britain Ave.) was punted to June 9.
Public Hearing: Two-Family Rule Rewrite
Planner Garrett Degles unveiled an R-12 tweak allowing two two-family homes on 36,000-sq-ft lots. New clause C mandates an evergreen buffer (“two trees every 25 ft”).
Public Concerns
- Jim Longworth (36 Garden St.) warned, “This isn’t affordable housing; it’s remote landlords and turnover I didn’t sign up for.”
- Attorney William Galski showed photos of existing rear-lot homes: “You go by, you don’t know where the property lines are. Compatibility is the key.”
Commissioners requested more edits: two-bedroom limit, owner-occupancy options by blood or marriage, one shared driveway, and a 100 ft × 200 ft buildable rectangle. Hearing resumes June 9.
Planner’s Notebook 🚁 & 🛻
- RTX will ring its Farm Springs helipad with triple-cable guide rails; FAA sign-off in progress.
- Rutherford seeks to retire the 1988 “one commercial truck under 1½ tons” rule: “Nobody even knows what a half-ton means anymore.”
Sponsor Break ☕
Need somewhere to stash that “one commercial truck under 1½ tons”? Store it—plus Grandma’s steamer trunk—at Farmington Storage, 155 Scott Swamp Road, 860-777-4001. Only facility in Connecticut with Museum-Grade Air™ (tastes like history; smells like victory). 😎
About the Author
Jack Beckett mainlines drip coffee, files FOIAs for kicks, and still spells “quorum” correctly on the first try. Catch his zoning nerdery at WeAreFarmington.com/tag/zoning.
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© 2025 The Farmington Mercury / Mercury Local
This article, “Signatures, Schools, and a Side Order of Zoning,” by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
“Signatures, Schools, and a Side Order of Zoning”
by Jack Beckett, The Farmington Mercury (CC BY-ND 4.0)