Commission clears site plan to replace outdoor storage with two indoor units at Talcott Mountain Storage

The Simsbury Zoning Commission unanimously approved a site‑plan amendment from Talcott Mountain Storage LLC to add two indoor self‑storage buildings on a pad at 70 Hopmeadow Street, replacing an existing outdoor vehicle storage area.

Applicant representatives said the proposal converts roughly 35,000 square feet of outdoor storage used for RVs and boats into two enclosed climate‑controlled buildings, each about 9,990 square feet, bringing the site’s total indoor storage to about 74,800 square feet. The applicant’s engineer, David Ziax, said the design matches the existing buildings and uses the same materials; stormwater and utilities were sized during the original approvals and require no major changes for this amendment, he said.

Commission discussion covered landscaping and the perimeter berm along Hopmeadow Street. One commissioner noted several evergreen plantings had failed; the applicant’s representative agreed to replace missing trees. Commissioners and staff discussed how the site fits within the larger PAD (planned area development) for the Tower Business Park area and noted any future commercial or residential development on the adjacent front seven acres would require separate PAD and site‑plan approvals.

The motion to approve application ZC 25‑24 included standard conditions: develop substantially in accordance with the site plan set dated April 2021 (revised 09/12/2025), submission of mylars and signed documents prior to building permit issuance, and continuation of any conditions recorded in prior approvals (ZC 21‑06 and ZC 22‑23) as applicable. The commission recorded the motion as carried unanimously.