Granby advisory committee debates expanding town center boundaries, refines list of permitted uses

Chair Mark Fiorentino opened the July 30 meeting of the Town of Granby Center Advisory Committee by saying the group would continue reviewing consultant-proposed center-zone boundaries and a land-use chart and prepare recommendations for the Board of Selectmen and the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Committee member Eric Myers argued the center area should be larger than the consultants proposed. Myers asked the committee to include parcels already used for commercial purposes—including three houses in disrepair on Route 10/202, the Visiting Nurse Association building, the fire department, the church, the cemetery, the area behind Station 280, the bank and the Town Hall complex—saying enlarging the center “would encourage commercial development and allow for future growth.”

Committee member John Oates said he was concerned about inconsistent zoning across the same street, noting that having different zones on opposite sides of Route 10/202 (and on Route 20 toward East Granby) would be difficult to administer and could create a disconnect. Committee member Martin Schwager urged more precise mapping, acknowledged public interest in extending the T‑1 zone south on Route 10, and recommended avoiding zone changes that affect single isolated lots.

Member Meg Jabaily said she had focused on permitted uses and stressed that any boundary expansion should consider preservation goals; she recommended treating Station 280 as part of the zone when reviewing uses. Chair Fiorentino restated the committee’s original concept to promote a connected, walkable center with pedestrian focus, greenery and reuse of vacant buildings, and recommended the group review the consultant’s proposed uses against those goals.

The advisory committee reviewed the consultant’s land-use chart and suggested the following approach: allow many retail and personal-service uses as permitted, designate mixed-use buildings, daycare centers, movie theaters, banks, charging stations and retail alcohol sales as allowable by special permit (with Planning and Zoning input and clarifications where needed), and mark a range of residential and other uses—single-family dwellings, home occupations, agriculture, bed-and-breakfasts, churches, assisted-living and certain specialty retail—as not permitted. The minutes note specific clarifications still needed (for example, auto repair and the Frontier utility building).

Fiorentino proposed that the Planning and Zoning Commission be permitted to request a special permit for uses not explicitly listed if those uses are consistent with other center-area activities. No members of the public attended the public session.

Procedural motions recorded in the minutes: the committee unanimously approved the minutes (motion by committee member Eric Myers, seconded by committee member John Oates); it unanimously voted (same mover and seconder) to hold a special meeting on August 20, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. to continue review; and the meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m. on a motion by Myers, seconded by Oates. The committee set homework: review two columns of the proposal left undiscussed and continue work on bulk and parking standards at the August 20 meeting and frame a formal recommendation, including goals for the center area, at a special meeting on August 27.

The advisory committee will forward its recommended boundary changes and the refined land-use chart, including suggested permitted and special-permit categories, to the Board of Selectmen and the Planning and Zoning Commission for their review and action.