Windsor could adopt stronger regulations on large distribution facilities this week, responding to resident concerns over a boom in development in recent years.
The Planning and Zoning Commission could vote as early as Wednesday – following a public hearing – to adopt a regulation making warehousing, logistics and distribution centers subject to special permits, rather than simply being allowed by right in industrial and warehouse zoning districts.
Under the proposed change, applications to build new logistics centers and warehouses would require public hearings, rather than simply being subject to site plan review. This would allow the Planning and Zoning Commission to set conditions on approvals that address resident concerns, rather than simply request accommodations from developers, Town Planner Eric Barz said.
Members of the commission asked for more control following resident complaints about the approval process for the BDL Logistics Center development in 2021, according to Barz. Scannell Properties gained approval to add two buildings with a combined 487,200 square feet at 1190 Kennedy and 451 Hayden Station roads.
Interest in building logistics and distribution centers in Windsor remains heavy. Two applications for large centers were recently submitted.
Indus Realty, on April 13, submitted plans for a 248,000-square-foot distribution center on 61.7 acres at 105 International Drive. This proposal is subject to site plan review.
Missouri-based NorthPoint Development has submitted plans for a nearly 750,000-square-foot distribution center on 93 acres inside Windsor’s Great Pond Village mixed-use development, which sits along Day Hill Road. As Great Pond Village is an approved planned development, this application is subject to staff review alone.
The Indus and NorthPoint projects are both being proposed on a speculative basis.Â
Â
