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Planning commission adopts C2 zoning change to allow conversion of commercial buildings to multifamily for projects of 10+ units
Summary
The Granby Planning & Zoning Commission voted July 14 to add a C2 zoning provision allowing reconstruction or conversion of existing commercial structures to multifamily housing for projects of 10 or more units, subject to special permit review and applicable PDM standards; the amendment takes effect Aug. 1.
The Granby Planning & Zoning Commission voted July 14 to add a new section to the town’s C2 business zone allowing the reconstruction or conversion of existing commercial structures into multifamily housing for projects of 10 units or more, effective Aug. 1.
The change, filed as File Z‑1‑26 and proposed by an applicant team that included attorney Richard Case and developer Luke Florian, was presented to the commission as a targeted text amendment: it applies only to conversions of existing buildings and requires applicants proposing 10 or more units to obtain a special permit. "This proposal meets the town's requirements and needs," attorney Richard Case said during the hearing.
Abby Kenyon, staff, told commissioners the amendment cross‑references design and review standards in the town’s Plan Development Multifamily (PDM) sections so conversions would follow existing multifamily criteria where appropriate while exempting provisions that do not apply to conversions (for example, some public‑water or consolidated open‑space rules in parts of C2 that are not served by water). Kenyon recommended clarifying language to ensure the rule applies to reconstruction and conversion of existing structures rather than to new construction.
Commissioners focused discussion on how to prevent a developer from treating the rule as a pathway for effectively new construction—asking whether the special permit process, density limits and existing site‑development rules provide adequate safeguards. Commissioner comments emphasized that the special permit review gives the commission discretion to deny proposals that amount to new construction disguised as conversion.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to add the proposed section to Chapter 3 (reconstruction and conversion of existing structures from commercial use to multifamily use), with the 10‑unit threshold and cross‑reference to the PDM rules; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. No roll‑call tally was recorded in the minutes.
The commission set the regulation’s effective date for Aug. 1 to allow the required public notice period to run. Next steps for any specific conversion project will be a separate special‑permit and site‑plan review, during which commissioners can evaluate building modifications, setbacks, traffic impacts and mitigation conditions.
The commission kept the record open on related T1 zoning matters under separate agenda items and continues to receive public comment on zoning updates.
