Terry Anne Hahn, principal at LADAPC, presented a preliminary Planned Area Development application for Simsbury Center that would formalize an existing cluster of mixed uses and allow a proposed residential building of roughly 35 units behind the frontage buildings.

The presentation matters because the PAD would change how existing commercial and residential uses are regulated at the site, allow more flexible reuse of small storefronts, and add new housing in the town center. Staff characterized the submission as an early, nonbinding step: the commission will provide comments and the applicant will file a formal zone‑change/master‑plan application and site plan for review.

Hahn said the PAD is designed to reflect what already exists on the site and make future changes easier. “We were looking at approximately, at 35 units, to be located as part of the overall complex,” she told commissioners. She described the parcel as composed of about 10 properties with multiple tenants and existing nonconformities; the PAD would identify those conditions, allow limited expansion capacity, and require a master plan that preserves shared green space and pedestrian connections.

A property representative said the complex has been nearly full and that the demand motivates the proposal. “We’ve been full since 2008,” the representative said, arguing the PAD would let the owner adapt quickly to market needs and avoid lengthy tenant‑change processes.

Commissioners and staff flagged several issues they want addressed before a formal application: parking and traffic circulation in a topographically constrained rear area, how the proposed rear building would sit relative to Hot Meadow Street and whether roofs would be visible from the frontage, wetlands and a 100‑foot upland review area adjacent to the rail‑trail, and whether existing residential units conform to current zoning rules. A commissioner asked how many new vehicle trips a 35‑unit building would generate; staff estimated the project might add about 20 daily trips but called that a preliminary figure.

Planning staff also noted the town’s affordable‑housing rules will apply. “Ten percent of the units will have to meet that,” a staff member said, describing the affordable‑housing submission that will accompany site plan review.

The presentation included a proposed pedestrian connection to the rail‑trail, reconfiguration of a rear parking area, lighting for a shared green, and a commitment to replacement street trees if existing trees must be removed. Hahn and staff emphasized the sketch is preliminary; they said the PAD process is nonbinding and that a formal PAD/master‑plan submission and site plan will return to the commission with full diagrams, an affordable‑housing plan and traffic/parking analysis.

Next steps: the applicant will respond to staff comments, prepare formal submissions (zone‑change/master plan and site plan), and return for the commission’s formal review and any required findings of consistency with the plan of conservation and development.