Cheshire approves expansion of Sandbank Road bus depot amid stacking and turn concerns

The Cheshire Planning & Zoning Commission voted 8'to'1 on May 11 to approve a special permit allowing the town to expand the school bus depot at 157 Sandbank Road, a project staff said will add about 76 employee parking spaces and remove temporary office trailers.

A town representative (speaker 18) said the parcel expansion uses land acquired from the State of Connecticut and would add paved parking to keep employees on-site rather than parking across Sandbank Road. "The intention is to expand the bus depot into that land that was acquired from the State of Connecticut," the presenter said, noting grading and runoff controls and a new driveway connection to an adjacent property managed by a DATCO-affiliated entity.

Neighbors and commissioners repeatedly pressed the applicants about traffic flow and the safety of left turns from Route 10. "How can we address the stacking problem that we have with buses?" one commissioner asked. Scott Brabant (speaker 22), DATCO's chief financial officer, said the plan contemplates a second means of entrance and exit but that using the neighboring property for circulation will require coordination with existing tenants.

The commission approved the permit on a motion that attached conditions including plans dated 04/20/2026 and installation of a fire-department emergency key box at the entrance. One commissioner voted against the measure, citing the need for a more explicit stacking plan; the motion passed 8'to'1.

The approval requires the applicant to comply with the review conditions and meet the fire department's location approval for the emergency box; commissioners urged staff to continue exploring whether driveway alignments or other engineering solutions could reduce Route 10 turning conflicts.

The commission recorded the vote and closed the matter pending compliance with the stated conditions.