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Johnny Carrier stood at the podium Monday night and did something developers in Farmington rarely get to do anymore: he gave a progress report instead of a pitch.
The owner of Carrier Group Inc. — the Plainville-based builder behind Farmington's most contentious residential development in recent memory — appeared before the Town Plan and Zoning Commission on March 23 to request a two-year extension on the conditional subdivision approval for 8517 and 8518 Morea Road, plus permission to construct up to three model homes. The commission granted both requests without a single dissenting vote.
The project drew "Save Morea Road" lawn signs, a GoFundMe campaign, anonymous DEEP complaints, and a court challenge that wasn't fully resolved until early 2024. The unanimity was notable — and familiar. The original TPZ approval in May 2023 was also unanimous, 6-0.
What Was Approved
The commission voted to extend Carrier Group's conditional approval for another two years — the maximum allowed under Farmington's zoning regulations — and to authorize construction of up to three model homes across the 25-lot cluster subdivision. The development is split into two sections: Winter Creek Place (18 lots) and Cold Spring Lane (7 lots), both accessed from Morea Road.
Carrier told the commission he intends to build one model home — the corner lot at the entrance to Winter Creek Place — but requested three to preserve flexibility. "If the first 20 people through the door say, 'I love this model, but we really want to see this house,' it gives me the option," Carrier said.
Where Construction Stands
According to Carrier's presentation and Town Planner Shannon Rutherford's comments, Winter Creek Place infrastructure is substantially complete:
- Sanitary sewer: complete
- Storm sewer: approximately 95% complete
- Detention basin: shaped and stabilized before winter
- Binder course paving: expected May or June 2026
Cold Spring Lane, the seven-lot section, has not been started. Carrier said he plans to begin off-site work there after July, once water tables drop and the Winter Creek side is fully stabilized.
Construction was delayed by unanticipated ledge during sewer installation and an early onset of winter that shut down the site from roughly December 1 through March. That compression is what pushed the May 2026 conditional approval expiration uncomfortably close.
The "Short Leash" Debate
The approval was unanimous, but the discussion was not perfunctory. Commissioner Josh Davidson pressed Carrier on restricting model homes to the Winter Creek side only, arguing the commission should not grant blanket building permission on a section with no infrastructure in place.
"I hesitate to give a blanket approval for something that we don't know what we're really approving," Davidson said. "We don't know the condition of what it might be at the time that you might start to build a home."
Commissioner Taylor Pogson echoed the concern, citing the project's contentious history and ongoing DEEP monitoring. "I do agree with Commissioner Davidson that there should probably be some condition of approval barring construction starting on the second lot," Pogson said.
Carrier offered a middle ground: a condition requiring a minimum level of site readiness on Cold Spring Lane before model construction there. "I would be amenable to some condition if it's setting the level of completion on the other side," he said.
Rutherford clarified the risk picture. Model homes go through the full building permit process but cannot be sold or marketed under a conditional approval. If Carrier walked away, the town would have a half-completed house — "a nuisance," she said, but no homeowner at risk, because no sales contract can be executed until the subdivision receives final approval.
Commissioner David St. Germain called the two-year extension "very reasonable." Commissioner Rob Ingridsson noted the project was approved in 2023 and nothing had materially changed. "The houses will get built whether they get built a little bit earlier or later," he said.
Davidson, finding himself without a second on the restriction, did not push for a formal condition. The motion, offered by St. Germain, passed with all commissioners voting in favor.
What Comes Next
Carrier told the commission he expects to return for final approval on the Winter Creek Place section within two to three months. Final approval requires posting a bond to cover remaining infrastructure work — Carrier estimated the total at roughly $1.5 million if no further construction had been completed, though the amount will decrease as work continues through the spring. He cannot sign sales contracts until final approval is granted.
Worth noting: under Farmington's regulations, only one conditional approval extension can be granted. If Carrier exhausted this window, the subdivision would require full reapproval — though Rutherford noted that under Connecticut case law, the commission would be obligated to reapprove absent a dramatic change in the regulations or the application itself.
Carrier reported that DEEP renewed the project's stormwater general permit in mid-March. The site has been inspected multiple times by DEEP, sometimes prompted by anonymous complaints alleging tree clearing in restricted areas and uncontrolled water runoff. No violations have been cited.
— Jack Beckett has now attended enough Farmington TPZ meetings to have opinions about the acoustics in Council Chambers. He has read the entire conditional approval regulation. The coffee was strong. The meeting ran nearly three hours. He regrets nothing. ☕
The Farmington Mercury covers the meetings you'd attend if you had the time — the Planning and Zoning sessions that run past 10 p.m., the building committee subcommittees that meet at 9 a.m., the police logs that are technically public record but that nobody types up unless we do. We publish slowly, deliberately, and with more footnotes than strictly necessary. Our motto is "Always last to breaking news" and we stand behind it: by the time you read this, the dust has settled, the facts are checked, and Jack Beckett has consumed an unreasonable amount of coffee. Find us at farmingtonmercury.com and tell your neighbors. #WeAreFarmington 📰