Some Connecticut municipalities are rethinking their zoning regulations as developers continue to propose new multifamily and industrial projects to sate sustained demand for housing and warehouse space. Cheshire recently placed a six-month moratorium on new commercial development proposals within its town center, in order to give land use officials time to review and possibly modify […]
Some Connecticut municipalities are rethinking their zoning regulations as developers continue to propose new multifamily and industrial projects to sate sustained demand for housing and warehouse space.
Cheshire recently placed a six-month moratorium on new commercial development proposals within its town center, in order to give land use officials time to review and possibly modify development regulations.
Meanwhile, South Windsor has lifted a year-long moratorium on new warehouse and distribution centers after its Planning and Zoning Commission recently adopted new regulations related to the facilities.
South Windsor’s moratorium, put in place in April 2022, came at the request of some residents who raised concerns about the number of new large-scale warehouses being built in the town. It was enacted by the commission to give officials time to review and adjust zoning regulations.
South Windsor’s new regulations, which went into effect May 28, help better outline buffers for certain facilities. Warehouses more than 40,000 square feet in size, and all distribution centers must be at least 500 feet away from nearby residential areas.
Fulfillment centers and all bus and truck storage facilities must be at least 750 feet away from residential areas, and freight terminals must be 1,000 feet away, the new regulations read.
The commission was trying to look at use and intensity, how well a project fits in the community and how it will impact the surrounding area, said South Windsor Director of Planning Michele Lipe.
“These changes help protect the community and the neighborhoods from larger facilities being built right next to them, in hopes of minimizing noise and activity levels,” Lipe said.
“But we also have an industrial corridor that’s developable, so we still need opportunities for projects to occur,” she added. Existing warehouses are exempted from the buffers and able to expand under the new regulations.
Time to review
Cheshire’s “temporary and limited” moratorium was requested and approved for all developments within the town center commercial zoning districts, along with planned residential developments and special development districts in the center of town.
The moratorium took effect April 29, and will not apply to applications received before that date, or to applications outside the central districts.
Planning and Zoning Commission members said the moratorium will give them time to review proposed uses for those central commercial zones, which are scarce throughout Cheshire.
In the last three to five years, several hundred apartment units have been approved throughout town. Planning board members said they want to ensure that future projects are in line with the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development, which was last updated eight years ago — before many recent developments started taking shape.
