Farmington approves Metro Realty 62‑unit Scott Swamp redevelopment; 14 supportive units reserved for The Arc/Favar

The Town of Farmington’s Plan & Zoning Commission voted Jan. 26 to approve Metro Realty’s redevelopment of the former Touchpoints skilled‑nursing site at 20 Scott Swamp Road into a 62‑unit multifamily community and to adopt a newly created Scott Swamp Road Opportunity Zone (SSROZ) to govern the development. The three separate approvals — a zoning text amendment, a rezoning from BR to SSROZ, and site plan approval — passed with the effective dates tied to legal‑notice publication.

Metro’s attorney and team told the commission the project, presented under Connecticut General Statutes §8‑30g, will deliver 62 apartments across five buildings (26 one‑bedroom, 34 two‑bedroom and 2 three‑bedroom units) on about 5.48 acres. The developer said the community will be financed in part through the low‑income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program and include a recorded 50‑year affordability restriction. Metro also said it will reserve 14 apartments as supportive units in partnership with The Arc of Farmington Valley (Favar), which will provide on‑site coordination of limited services and transportation for those residents.

“We’re proposing a mixed‑income community with supportive housing integrated into the site,” Kyle Richards of Metro Realty said during the presentation, adding that residents in Metro’s comparable developments often work full time. Andrea Gomes, counsel for Metro, explained the application was styled as assisted housing under 8‑30g and said the commission may only deny such an application for specific, non‑speculative substantial public health or safety issues that cannot be cured by reasonable changes.

Town staff and the applicant presented supporting technical materials: a wetlands approval from the town wetlands commission (already granted), a traffic impact study by Fuss & O’Neill, stormwater design and a revised draft SSROZ intended to embed development standards and affordability rules for this site. Traffic consultant Mark Vertucci said the development is expected to generate about 35 morning and 37 afternoon peak‑hour trips and that, with minor signal timing or restriping measures coordinated with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, nearby intersections will maintain acceptable levels of service.

Commissioners questioned Metro on parking, lighting, demolition, emergency vehicle access and invasive‑species management. Metro requested and staff supported a reduced parking ratio tied to the supportive‑unit mix; as presented the project provides 90 parking spaces (the SSROZ baseline calculation would have required 98). Metro said it would provide EV infrastructure, ADA parking, and a photometrics plan for lighting. Tom Daley, the project engineer, explained proposed stormwater treatments that include a hydrodynamic separator and infiltration features to treat runoff and reduce sediment loads to nearby Scott Swamp.

Public comment included written letters of support from families associated with Favar and local businesses that noted the community’s potential to expand housing options for local employees. Metro also described outreach meetings with abutters and several plan revisions that increased evergreen buffering and added a privacy fence at the CVS/Exxon interface.

After questions, the commission separately approved: (1) the SSROZ text amendment (effective 16 days after legal notice); (2) the rezoning of 20 Scott Swamp Road from BR to SSROZ (effective 17 days after legal notice); and (3) the site plan approval for Metro Realty’s proposed community with the conditions discussed during the hearing (effective 18 days after legal notice). The applicant acknowledged remaining technical steps including an encroachment/driveway permit and coordination with DOT and state and federal financing steps to secure LIHTC funding. The commission’s approvals were conditioned on the remaining plan refinements and standard permitting steps outlined by staff.

Next steps for the project are the DOT encroachment permitting process for work in the Scott Swamp Road right‑of‑way, finalization of financing and recorded land‑use restrictions required to implement the affordability commitments. The applicant told the commission it anticipates demolition and abatement of the existing building could be completed in under a month and construction could begin toward the end of 2026, with a roughly 14–18 month construction timeline to completion.