Canton planning commission approves zoning amendments to add adult daycare uses

The Canton Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Jan. 21 to adopt zoning regulation amendments that add "adult daycare services" as a defined use and specify the districts and review thresholds in which it may operate.

A staff member told the commission the change aligns with Connecticut General Statutes §8-2 and the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development, which documents a growing older population and recommends services for the 55-plus community. "This proposal would specifically identify use that would address senior social services needs for members of that group," the staff member said, noting the amendments distinguish adult daycare from child-focused daycare and set different review paths (special permit, site plan, or staff approval) depending on the district.

Commissioners discussed an outstanding technical issue: the town’s parking table currently calculates spaces based on child counts, which the staff member said could cause future confusion if left unchanged. Commissioners agreed the adult-daycare amendment should proceed and requested staff return with clarified parking standards at a later date.

The motion to approve File 156, application 2539 (zoning regulation amendments related to adult daycare), was made referencing the Jan. 12 staff memo and carried on a unanimous voice vote. The commission’s approval included edits to remove draft amendment placeholders noted in the motion.

Next steps: staff will prepare final regulatory language and a revised parking-table proposal for future consideration; no construction approvals or site-specific permits were issued at this meeting.