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Danbury Planning Commission deadlocks on 27-acre rezoning, sends referral to zoning commission
Summary
The Planning Commission split on a petition to rezone a 27-acre Sawmill Road parcel from industrial to multifamily, citing a tension between preserving limited industrial acreage and meeting a documented shortage of rental housing; the item will proceed to the zoning commission ahead of a July 22 public hearing.
The Danbury Planning Commission on July 16 deadlocked on a referral for a 27-acre zoning map amendment for property on Sawmill Road, leaving the matter to the zoning commission after a series of tie votes.
Planning Director Waleed Al Pacay told commissioners the applicant seeks to rezone the parcel from IL40 (industrial) to RMF6 (multifamily). He said city engineers have confirmed municipal water and sewer access and noted wetlands constrain the buildable portion to roughly 5–6 acres. "This application, just to be clear, it's not spot zoning," Al Pacay said, arguing the change would make the parcel more compatible with surrounding residential development.
Commissioners framed the decision as weighing two competing goals: preserving a dwindling inventory of IL40 industrial land and expanding the city's supply of rental housing. One commissioner cited Danbury's 2022 affordable housing plan and its gap analysis, saying the city has a substantial shortage of rental units across income levels and framed the proposal as a way to add housing supply. Another commissioner countered, "My biggest concern is the loss of the precious IL40," warning that once industrial zoning is removed it is unlikely to return and noting demand exists for industrial condos and outdoor storage that serve small contractors.
Other concerns raised during the discussion included traffic impacts along Mill Plain Road, and whether the city's west-side water system could support more units. Al Pacay noted the RMF6 zone allows up to 196 units by right and up to 294 units with density incentives; he said any incentive-driven increase would trigger statutory affordable-housing requirements as part of the incentive-housing option. He also emphasized that wetlands and topography would likely limit actual unit counts well below theoretical maxima.
The commission first considered a motion for a negative referral that was defeated by a tie. A subsequent motion for a positive referral also resulted in a tie and failed under the commission's voting rules with four members present. Following the tie votes, the commission transmitted the petition to the zoning commission; a zoning public hearing on the matter is scheduled for July 22, 2025.
Next steps: the zoning commission hears the petition on July 22, and the Planning Commission's comments and the engineering reports will be part of the record for that hearing.
