🔒New barn and farm market proposed in Glastonbury

Dondero Orchards, a longtime family-run farm in Glastonbury, is seeking town approval to construct a new barn with a market and kitchen at 3582 Hebron Ave. The proposal calls for a 3,500-square-foot post-and-beam barn that would include a commercial kitchen to make prepared meals and process fruits and vegetables grown on the farm into jams, pies and pickles. The other half of the structure would serve as a farm retail store selling produce, baked goods, ice cream and locally made products. Plans also include seasonal outdoor seating for 58 customers, spread across picnic and round tables, and a gravel parking lot with 32 spaces. Lunch would be served five days a week, and farm-to-table dinners could be offered a few times each summer, according to the application. According to the project application, the expansion would help expand Dondero Orchards’ operations on Glastonbury’s east side, extend the farm’s season and create additional local jobs. Dondero Orchards, owned by Sandy Dondero, currently operates its main site on Woodland Street, where it runs a commercial kitchen, farm store and pick-your-own produce operation. The Town Plan and Zoning Commission is scheduled to review the special permit application at its meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.