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Bolton planning commission considers simpler sign rules, refines permitted-use table
Summary
At its Aug. 13 meeting the Bolton Planning & Zoning Commission reviewed model sign codes from Tolland and Ridgefield, asked staff for a legal memo on court limits to content-based sign regulation, and advanced edits to the Table of Permitted Uses including store-size thresholds and category definitions. Members will review local examples and return with suggestions.
The Bolton Planning & Zoning Commission met Aug. 13 and reviewed draft changes to local signage rules and the town’s Table of Permitted Uses, directing staff to provide legal guidance and asking members to survey local examples before the next meeting.
Consulting Director of Community Development Patrice Carson presented sign regulations used by Bolton, Tolland and Ridgefield and recommended simplifying the current sign-measurement calculations, which she said produce inconsistent results and cause difficulty for sign vendors. Commission members discussed which town to use as a model. Alternate Commissioner Kawan Gordon said he preferred Ridgefield’s simpler approach; Vice-Chair James Cropley asked whether Zoning Enforcement Officer Michael D'Amato had reviewed Ridgefield’s rules.
D'Amato, who said he helped draft Tolland’s regulations in consultation with counsel, recommended using a content-neutral approach and told the commission he would provide a memo outlining relevant U.S. Supreme Court and Connecticut court rulings that limit municipal authority to regulate signs based on content and restrict local regulation of personal (noncommercial) signs except where they pose safety hazards. Carson asked staff to adopt a less-complex formula for measuring signs so businesses and sign companies get consistent answers.
On the Table of Permitted Uses, Carson walked commissioners through redlined changes and highlighted entries requiring commission feedback. The commission discussed Administrative Zoning (AZ) and Administrative Zoning As Of Right (AOR); Carson explained that AOR covers uses allowed by statute without commission approval (examples cited include daycares operating within statutory child-count limits and certain home occupations). D'Amato noted that formal Commission approval is required when a business exceeds statutory limits (for example, a daycare serving more than six children).
The commission agreed to allow fitness centers in both the General Business (GB) and Gateway Mixed Use Industrial (GMUIZ) zones. Commissioners debated how to classify grocery versus convenience stores; D'Amato proposed defining grocery stores by a percentage of floor space devoted to fresh foods (he suggested a threshold such as 60% as an example). Commissioners discussed limiting Neighborhood Business Zone stores to 5,000 square feet by site plan and requiring site plan review or a Special Use Permit for larger retail stores. Marilee Manning asked staff to research whether 5,000 square feet is an appropriate threshold.
Members also discussed adding “catch-all” language to Special Use Permit language to accommodate future or unique businesses, and whether to change the category “houses of worship” to “places of assembly” to include movie theaters and auditoriums; Carson read aloud the Special Use Permit regulations and confirmed that places of worship, schools and similar institutions are allowed in any zone with a Special Use Permit and public hearing.
The commission did not take final votes on regulatory text; it asked staff to circulate a legal memo on court precedents, invited members to survey signage in town and photograph examples they support or oppose, and scheduled further review at the next meeting. Procedural votes taken at the meeting included approval of the July 9, 2025 minutes (motion by Tom Crockett, seconded by James Cropley; carried 5–0–1 with Kawan Gordon abstaining) and adjournment (motion by Tom Crockett, seconded by James Cropley; carried 6–0–0).
Next steps: staff to provide the legal memorandum on sign-case law and a revised Permitted Use Table; commissioners to review Tolland’s regulations, observe local signage for examples, and present proposed edits at the next meeting.
