Bolton Planning & Zoning Commission approves 6,000‑square‑foot office at 7 Loomis Road

The Bolton Planning & Zoning Commission on Feb. 14 voted 7–0 to grant MTS Builders a special permit for a 6,000‑square‑foot office building at 7 Loomis Road, conditional on engineering, health and screening requirements and correction of subdivision setback lines.

The hearing, held at Bolton Town Hall, included a presentation by architect Mark Reynolds, who described the 1.5‑acre site as mostly cropland with a 3% slope. The plan calls for a single general‑use office building with up to five tenant spaces, 30 parking stalls (two accessible), and 38 percent lot imperviousness (the regulation allows up to 50 percent). Reynolds said the parcel has no wetlands, that the Health Department had given conditional approval for well and septic plans, and that the drainage concept centers on a linear grass‑and‑stone retention area designed to infiltrate most storm runoff.

Neighbors raised multiple concerns during public comment. Sydney Day and Nick Shifrin asked for denial, citing neighborhood impacts; Ann Lorch said the house closest to the site has a hand‑dug well and raised concerns about building size, hours and lighting; Susan Erwin cited traffic and safety near the site; and Larry Pesce asked about ponding and whether white pines would provide effective long‑term screening. William Anderson voiced support and suggested adding a bike rack.

Commission members pressed the applicant on screening, planting choices and lighting. Commissioners asked that light poles be shown at 20 feet (revised from 25 feet), and discussed alternatives to the applicants' proposed 5–6‑foot white pines, including arborvitae, rhododendrons and cluster plantings or a rain garden to address runoff and aesthetics. Town staff summarized agency comments: the Fire Marshal requested clear signage and dry‑hydrant coordination; the Building Official flagged lighting, dumpster placement and handicap access; the Town Engineer (Joe Dillon) approved the drainage approach; and the Health District issued conditional well/septic approval.

In a motion recorded in the minutes, Commissioner Thomas Manning moved to approve MTS Builders' Special Permit (application #PL‑18‑1) “in accordance with the plans submitted” (plans dated Oct. 11, 2017, revised through Feb. 14, 2018), subject to specific conditions. The approval includes eight conditions: placing the approval letter on the mylars to be recorded in the Town Clerk’s office; compliance with Health District and Town Engineer comments; placing design professionals' seals and signatures on the plans prior to recording; owner responsibility for maintenance of the eastern retention area; correcting the side‑yard and rear‑yard setback lines to 10 feet per the Brook Hollow Subdivision Plan (Sept. 21, 2005); showing 20‑foot light poles on all plans; granting a waiver of Section 15H and the subdivision vegetative buffer in favor of a planting screen to protect adjacent properties from headlights; and authorizing the zoning enforcement officer to approve minor modifications to cluster plantings and dumpster screening prior to mylar filing.

The minutes record that the Commission found the project consistent with the Neighborhood Business Zone and the 2015 Plan of Conservation and Development’s goals for local economic development, and that future businesses locating in the building will require separate zoning and public health approvals. The motion passed unanimously, 7–0.

The meeting also recorded a deferred discussion on temporary health care structures ("granny pods") with no action taken, and standard staff reports and correspondence. The Commission adjourned at 10:10 p.m.

What’s next: the applicant must place the approval letter on the mylars and complete any conditions from the Health District and Town Engineer; the zoning enforcement officer may approve minor screening plan adjustments before the mylar is filed.