Farmington planning board approves conversion of former TD Bank into mixed‑use 'The Vault at Central'

The Town of Farmington Planning Board voted unanimously Jan. 7 to approve a site plan to convert the former TD Bank at 4 Central Street into a mixed‑use building the applicant said will be called The Vault at Central.

The approved plan calls for three residential units and one 2,300‑square‑foot commercial space on the first floor and nine residential units on the second floor. Planning staff described the first‑floor units as a 440‑square‑foot studio and two 780‑square‑foot two‑bedroom units; second‑floor units range from about 510 to 580 square feet.

The board also approved two waiver requests: to allow parking stalls 18 feet long instead of the 20‑foot standard and to waive the requirement for 12‑foot traffic control islands. Both waivers passed 5‑0. The board then approved the site plan, with conditions read by planning staff, by a 5‑0 vote.

Planning Director Kyle Pimental told the board the property links to the Goodwin Library and that the library has deeded parking for three spaces; the applicant is providing eight spaces. Pimental also noted that recent changes in state law reduced residential parking requirements from 1.5 spaces per unit to 1 space per unit, which factored into the board's parking assessment.

Technical Review Committee and emergency personnel recommendations were discussed during the hearing. TRC members raised questions about drainage, backflow prevention on water connections, and maintenance responsibilities for the existing fire escape. Emergency personnel asked that the Main Street secondary access be retained but converted to enter‑only to address line‑of‑sight and safety concerns; the board discussed that request while approving the plan.

During public comment, representatives of the Goodwin Library requested sound‑mitigation measures for the shared wall, inspection and clear maintenance responsibility for the fire escape, and clarity on snow‑plowing and parking allocation beyond deeded spaces. The applicant, identified in the meeting as Glenn Nazarian, said the historic bank vault will be preserved and repurposed as a mail room for residents and that a previously proposed dog‑park area has been retained as parking.

The approvals carry standard site‑plan conditions as read by staff at the meeting. The motions recorded in the minutes show each action passed unanimously (5‑0); individual member votes were not itemized in the minutes.

Looking ahead, staff will work with the applicant to finalize the conditions and ensure required backflow prevention, drainage details, and any sound‑mitigation measures are included in the final plan.