The Newington Plan and Zoning Commission approved a special permit Monday night for Goldfish Swim School to open its third Connecticut location at 1581 Southeast Road, in space previously occupied by Barnes & Noble. The approval allows a local franchisee of Michigan-based Goldfish Swim School to convert about 7,312 square feet of space in the […]
The Newington Plan and Zoning Commission approved a special permit Monday night for Goldfish Swim School to open its third Connecticut location at 1581 Southeast Road, in space previously occupied by Barnes & Noble.
The approval allows a local franchisee of Michigan-based Goldfish Swim School to convert about 7,312 square feet of space in the commercial building from business use to “assembly and recreation use for an indoor swimming facility.” Goldfish Swim has existing schools in Manchester and Cromwell.
The Newington property houses a roughly 21,720-square-foot building constructed in 1980, comprising three tenants: the swim school, Hannoush Jewelry, which occupies about 6,226 square feet, and a vacant space of approximately 8,159 square feet. The site straddles the Newington-Farmington town line on Southeast Road.
Alex Thomas of TDG Architects noted in the application that the new use would bring additional customers to the commercial district.
The site offers roughly 125 parking spaces, with 67 dedicated to the swim school. The applicant noted this parking arrangement would not interrupt traffic from Southeast Road.
Goldfish Swim School was founded in 2006 by Jenny and Chris McCuiston in Birmingham, Michigan. The company has since expanded to more than 150 locations across 34 states and Canada, teaching more than 100,000 students per week.
The schools offer swim lessons for children ages 4 months to 12 years in a 90-degree pool, using what the company calls "The Science of SwimPlay" curriculum. Classes maintain a 4-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio.
