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Design Review Board recommends positive review for Crystal Mall adaptive reuse
Summary
The Waterford Design Review Board voted 5-0 to forward a positive recommendation to the Planning and Zoning Commission for the Crystal Mall adaptive reuse at 850 Hartford Turnpike; applicants said the proposal involves interior reconfiguration, parking and circulation changes, and significant landscape improvements without new buildings.
The Waterford Design Review Board on Feb. 24 voted unanimously to recommend the Planning and Zoning Commission approve an adaptive-reuse plan for the Crystal Mall at 850 Hartford Turnpike.
Attorney John Casey and members of the project team said the proposal converts underused mall space without constructing new buildings; work focuses on interior reorganization, minor exterior repairs near entrances, new wayfinding signage and substantial site work including revised parking, new sidewalks and landscape improvements. Landscape architect Chad Frost described a plan that adds a center island in the ring roadway with a two-lane roundabout near Olive Garden, two right-turn lanes onto Route 85, and an evergreen buffer along the Home Depot side of the campus. The team also plans to power-wash and repair brick facades and replace or modify glass entrances.
Members asked procedural and material questions, including whether parking counts for adjacent restaurants (Longhorn and Olive Garden) were separate; Chad Frost confirmed those counts were not included in the mall's parking calculation. With those clarifications on materials and circulation, member Joy Merrill moved, seconded by Michael Elbaum, that the board provide a positive recommendation to the Planning and Zoning Commission for application PL-26-4. The motion carried, 5-0.
The project team provided plans titled "General Dynamics, Electric Boat, Crystal Mall Adaptive Reuse, 850 Hartford Turnpike" (last revised Jan. 26, 2026). The Design Review Board's recommendation is advisory; the Planning and Zoning Commission will take the recommendation into account in its pending review.
