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Cheshire planning commission adopts comprehensive zoning rewrite, leaves farm-event requests for later review
Summary
The Cheshire Planning & Zoning Commission on May 11 approved a comprehensive rewrite of the town's zoning regulations, adopting clarifications on parking dimensions and subdivision sidewalks while leaving site-specific farm-event proposals to later special permits and potential text amendments.
The Cheshire Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approved a comprehensive rewrite of the town's zoning regulations on May 11, 2026, a package staff said clarifies parking and subdivision standards and establishes how the town will regulate a range of uses going forward.
Staff member (speaker 2) told the commission the draft includes a clarification for measuring parking stalls (interior dimensions) and a fee-in-lieu sidewalk option for cluster subdivisions. "Really, I mean, I could add something in the regs to clearly illustrate what we mean by 9 by 18," staff said, adding the town could instead specify a 9-by-20 space for oversized vehicles.
The decision came amid discussion of a proposed amendment to allow indoor events at working farms. Attorney Christopher Russo (speaker 10), representing Norton Brothers Farm-related interests, framed the change as a tool to preserve farmland by enabling adaptive reuse and additional revenue. "We're trying to save something from having 25 houses developed on it," said Bill Cunningham (speaker 8), a farm owner who asked the commission to consider indoor venues that would minimize loud outdoor music and help sustain farm operations.
Several commissioners urged caution and broader public notice before adopting site-specific allowances. The panel left options on the table: continue the hearing, approve the rewrite as written and ask proponents to file a separate text amendment, or adopt the full package immediately. Commissioners signaled preference for the stakeholder-notice route; the commission ultimately approved the rewrite and directed staff to publish the final regulations and binders for commissioners.
The rewrite will take effect as scheduled in mid-May 2026 pending ministerial steps to publish the regulations. Proponents of farm-event provisions will need to pursue separate special permits or a targeted text amendment if they want indoor venues to be permitted under the new rules.
The commission said future special-permit applications and site-level review would remain necessary to determine hours, noise mitigation and building-level soundproofing for any indoor venue proposed on a farm.
