The Simsbury Planning Commission voted unanimously to make a positive referral of ZC25-28, a text amendment filed by Sims Moore Square Enterprises, asking the Zoning Commission to allow conversion of existing commercial buildings to residential use in the town's B1, B2 and B3 business zones via special exception review. Commissioners were told the Zoning Commission's public hearing on the petition is scheduled for Nov. 17.

Staff described the applicant's request as a private zoning petition to allow conversions similar to existing allowances in the town's I-1 and I-2 industrial zones. George, planning staff, told the commission that the Industrial zone language permits the conversion of buildings for residential uses provided a structure was built before a specified cutoff date in the I-zone language; he said he could not determine the historic reason for that date and recommended basing any new B-zone language on the industrial provision but without the date restriction.

Applicant Christian (Mister Christiansen) told the commission the parcel in question, on Hot Meadow Street (548 Hot Meadow), had been a residence historically, later converted to offices, and is now vacant. "At this point, I could rent it in a heartbeat as a residence," Christiansen said, describing minimal interior work needed to restore a kitchen and return the building to single-family use. He said he had considered two-family conversion but found sprinkler and other code requirements cost-prohibitive.

Commission members asked whether a zoning text amendment could be limited to a single property; staff replied that a text change to a zoning regulation would apply townwide to the listed zones and cannot be tailored to one parcel. Commissioners discussed limits on new construction versus conversion of existing buildings and agreed the special-exception process would allow case-by-case review. Several commissioners favored language that would explicitly limit the change to "existing buildings" so demolitions followed later by large new residential complexes would not be permitted under the conversion clause.

A motion to send a positive referral to the Zoning Commission for ZC25-28, to allow conversion of existing structures to residential uses in B1, B2 and B3 zones via special exception, carried unanimously. The commission noted the referral would be advisory and that the Zoning Commission is the ultimate decision maker for the text amendment. The applicant and staff were thanked for attending and explaining the proposal.

Provenance: topic introduced at 02:32 and discussion/vote concluded at 29:36 in the meeting transcript; applicant remarks and staff recommendations are recorded in the public record.