Planning commission continues public hearing on McCall Foundation request for licensed group care at 25 Hotchkiss Place

The Torrington Planning and Zoning Commission on June 11 held a continued public hearing on a special exception application from McCall Foundation to operate a licensed group care facility at 25 Hotchkiss Place.

McCall representative Martin Connor, AICP, told the commission the proposal would formalize clinical services inside the house and requested approval for a group care facility for up to 11 residents, a reduction from the 13 people who have been living at the property, according to the applicant.

The application matters because it would change how the property is regulated — moving clinical services inside the home would require licensing by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and subject the house to DPH standards rather than the looser oversight that applied when some services were provided off-site.

At the hearing McCall president and CEO Maria Coutant Skinner described the proposed model, which she said would mirror McCall’s licensed program at 127 Midget Avenue and would operate with a minimum of two staff on site at all times. "We require that two staff at this level of care are on at all times," she said. She told the commission that clients would not have vehicles and that the organization expects four required off-street parking spaces, two staff vehicles and a program van to serve the site.

City planner Jeremy Leifert and McCall representatives cited the Torrington Police Department record and internal oversight as part of the record: police calls tied to the property totaled 31 over five years, with officers responding on-site for 13 of those calls and four calls classified as disturbances or investigations. Skinner said McCall’s internal records did not show incidents of residents harassing neighbors and emphasized clinical oversight and standards of care.

Neighbors spoke in opposition, listing long-standing concerns about on-site population, visitors, parking and public safety. Neighbor Nella Stoltz told the commission her family had experienced safety-related incidents and concerns about people loitering and unknown visitors. "It's lovely listening to this ideal picture," Stoltz said, "but the reality is it's not ideal."

Commissioners questioned the applicant on supervision, visitation policies, rooming and licensing. Architect Michael Bow and clinical staff Joy Pandola (chief clinical officer) addressed questions about bedroom counts, square-footage requirements and how the licensed program differs from the current mixed-model arrangement. Pandola explained the proposed licensed program would commonly serve residents at a later stage of treatment and include in-house clinical services, employment supports and community reintegration work.

No final action was taken at the meeting. After questions, additional public testimony and staff recommendations, the commission closed the public hearing for the application and chose to continue deliberations to the next meeting so staff can finalize the record and commissioners can review outstanding materials.

What’s next: The commission closed the public hearing on June 11 and signaled it will resume deliberations at a later meeting; state licensing, building and fire approvals remain conditions for any allowed use. The commission must issue a decision within the statutory timeframe after closing the hearing.

Votes and formal actions: No permit or zoning decision was made on June 11; the public hearing was closed and deliberation was deferred to a subsequent meeting.