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Board approves variances to allow Firestone service center at 6 National Drive
Summary
Windsor Locks officials approved three variances — small increase in impervious surface, a reduction in required parking and a reduction in internal parking‑lot landscaping — to permit redevelopment of a vacant 35,000 sq. ft. lot for a Firestone Complete Auto Care facility at 6 National Drive.
The Windsor Locks board approved three separate variances to allow redevelopment of a vacant lot at 6 National Drive for a Firestone Complete Auto Care facility.
Attorney Paul W. Smith, representing the Zaremba Group LLC, said the 35,000‑square‑foot lot is undersized for the business‑1 zone (he cited roughly 149 feet of frontage where 200 feet is required) and asked the board to consider three related variances together. The requests were to increase allowed impervious surface coverage from 66% to 70, reduce the parking requirement from 49 to 30 spaces, and shrink internal parking‑lot landscaping from 15% to about 6%.
Smith described a planned eight‑bay service center with an operational plan that anticipates about 28–35 customer vehicles per day and peak staffing of seven employees. “We anticipate between 28 and 35 customers’ cars per day,” he told the board, and argued that turnover at this kind of service operation reduces the need for the high parking ratio in the existing ordinance.
Developer representative Todd Hamula said Firestone’s minimum requirement is about 28 spaces and a “sweet spot” of 32–34; the applicant’s plan shows 30 spaces and the developers said they could reduce a spot or two if the board emphasized internal landscaping. Smith and the design team said they would emphasize perimeter landscaping where possible to provide buffers for neighboring businesses.
The board and staff discussed access and traffic: the applicant said the state DOT had approved a right‑turn‑in access from the adjacent highway but no left‑turn exit, and members noted DOT permits are separate from local zoning review.
After public‑hearing procedures and no public speakers from the floor, the board took separate votes on the three variances. The record shows motions to approve each variance (recorded as FY25‑26‑16 for impervious area to 70%, FY25‑26‑17 for parking to 30 spaces, and FY25‑26‑18 for landscaping to 6.3%) and the board approved each motion on the record.
The approvals permit the developer to advance the site plan to planning and zoning review and to seek any necessary DOT permits for the driveway configuration; the board’s action does not itself authorize construction.
