Owners of Simsbury’s Simsmore Square, a mixed-use complex along Hopmeadow Street, have applied to rezone the property as a Planned Area Development and modify the site plan to allow construction of a 35-unit apartment building, according to documents filed with the town.
The application, submitted Dec. 30 to Simsbury’s Planning and Community Development Department by land-use consulting firm LADA, seeks to convert the property’s current B-1 and B-2 zoning to a Planned Area Development, or PAD. The proposal covers about 11.7 acres and includes 10 lots with multiple owners who share infrastructure such as parking, access drives and utilities.
In the narrative submitted with the application, LADA described Simsmore Square as a long-established development that evolved over time, with smaller buildings — many of them renovated older structures — along Hopmeadow Street and larger buildings and a broader mix of uses toward the rear of the site. The firm said the PAD request is intended to codify the site’s existing development pattern and mix of uses under a single zoning designation.
The documents list existing uses that include retail, restaurants, office space, personal and business services, residential units and recreation-related activity.
Plans for the proposed apartment building describe a design similar in style to the structure at 540 Hopmeadow St., with the building rising three stories on the Hopmeadow Street side and four stories at the rear.
The applicants said the additional housing is being proposed amid changing economic conditions and a lack of demand for additional commercial and retail space. They also noted the complex already contains 21 apartment units, mostly one-bedroom units, and said there is a significant waiting list for those apartments.
The plan is scheduled to be discussed at the Planning Commission’s Jan. 13 meeting.
