Bristol Planning Commission approves three site plans, refers sidewalk deferral to school board

The Bristol Planning Commission on Feb. 20 approved three site plans for redevelopment projects in the city, including conditional approvals for large conversions at 383 and 894 Middle Street and a parking reconfiguration at an industrial property, and referred a requested sidewalk deferral to the Bristol Board of Education for comment.

Acting secretary Christopher Nardi opened the meeting and the commission first approved minutes from Oct. 27 and Dec. 15, 2025. The panel then considered three major site-plan applications: Application 442 (383 Middle Street), Application 444 (894 Middle Street) and Application 441 (pavement reconfiguration at a former industrial property).

Brian Baker, a licensed engineer with Civil 1, presented Application 442, a plan to convert roughly 215,150 square feet of the former ESPN North Campus at 383 Middle Street into light-industrial wholesale/distribution space with 36 new truck loading docks. Baker said the conversion would reduce total impervious surface by removing about 247 parking spaces and, using ITE trip-generation rates, would reduce peak-hour passenger vehicle trips by about 269 in the morning and 271 in the afternoon compared with the property’s previous full-office use. Staff engineers indicated the drainage analysis showed no increase in post-development stormwater flow and described the remaining review comments as largely ministerial. A motion to approve Application 442 passed with stipulations that remaining staff comments be addressed before final sign-off and that any incomplete site improvements be bonded per the zoning regulations.

Attorney Timothy Furie, representing Carrier Construction on Application 444 at 894 Middle Street, described a separate 16.56-acre redevelopment the city foreclosed, remediated and put out for proposals. Furie told the commission the plan calls for eight buildings totaling about 66,625 square feet, roughly 54–55 roll-up doors and a likely tenant mix of specialty trade contractors and small commercial users. Furie said environmental remediation work has been completed and monitoring wells remain on site for continued testing. He asked the commission for a conditional approval within about 10 days to help secure project financing, saying the developer had worked with staff to address the technical comments.

On sidewalks, Furie requested a deferral consistent with the town ordinance (show sidewalks on the plans but defer construction pending school-board comment). He asked the commission to refer the sidewalk-deferral request to the Bristol Board of Education so the board could advise on impacts to schoolchildren and pedestrian routes. The commission voted to direct staff to send that referral.

Furie and staff also discussed parking and EV infrastructure: the applicant proposed counting 204 spaces plus 15 additional potential spaces, showing locations for infrastructure to allow future EV charging, and proposed use-size limits (for example, microbrewery and fitness-club spaces capped at 5,000 square feet unless otherwise approved) so a mixed-uses scenario would remain within the town’s parking requirements. Commissioners and staff noted that if parking triggers for state permits are reached, state permitting (OSTA/DOT) would provide another layer of review.

After discussion and staff assurances that outstanding items were mostly minor or ministerial, the commission approved Application 444 with detailed stipulations limiting maximum sizes for certain uses, requiring all staff comments to be addressed before final sign-off, and bonding unfinished site improvements. A commissioner recorded the motion and the vote passed on a voice vote.

Application 441, a site-plan to reconfigure existing pavement and create up to 161 parking spaces (75 of which were designated as "future" parking), was presented as a cleanup and adaptive-reuse project for an older industrial parcel. Rock Emmons, senior civil engineer, described erosion-control measures, low-impact stormwater swales and a hydrodynamic separator, and noted the plan shows future parking as deferred to limit impervious coverage unless it is needed. The commission approved Application 441 with standard conditions requiring remaining staff comments be satisfied and bonding for incomplete improvements.

The commission also recommended that City Council accept the westerly portion of Village Street as a public roadway for Cold Springs Farms Phase 4 (19 lots), contingent on Department of Public Works sign-off, filing in city land records and a one-year maintenance bond of $60,000. Two Connecticut General Statutes (CGS 8-24) referrals concerning surplus city properties — 81 Church Avenue (the former firehouse) and 112 Amber Road — were forwarded to the City Council with positive referrals and notes that sale or reuse would return property to the tax rolls and, in the case of Amber Road, could serve Parks & Recreation if desired.

City planner Robert Flanagan briefed the commission on the upcoming update of the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), noting staff are seeking roughly $250,000 in funding for the 18–20 month update process and that state housing legislation will require additional local work on housing targets. The commission introduced new member Dwayne Winn of Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut.

Next steps: applicants must address outstanding staff comments and provide revised plan sets where required; the commission’s conditional approvals require those items be resolved before final sign-off. The sidewalk deferral for 894 Middle Street will be sent to the Board of Education for comment; the Village Street recommendation will move to City Council for final street acceptance.