Minutes
Design Review Board - Minutes - Apr 6, 2026
Apr 6, 2026
A public record published by the Town of Simsbury (simsbury-ct.gov). mySimsbury indexes it and makes it readable; it is not the official copy. View the original file.
Page 1 of 4 Design Review Board1 Regular Meeting2 April 6, 2026 – 5:30 P.M.3 Simsbury Town Hall – Main Meeting Room4 933 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT 060705 6 MINUTES7 8 I. CALL TO ORDER – Chair Lang called the meeting to order at 5:30 P.M.9 10 Present: Chair, Elaine Lang; Vice Chair, Polly Rice; Board Members: William Clegg11 (virtual), Anca Dragulski, and Andrew Tarpill; Planning Director, George McGregor;12 Code Compliance Officer, Joseph Hollis.13 14 Absent: Board Member: Joleen Benedict; and Alternate Board Members: Kristen15 DuBois and Thomas Mach.16 17 II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES18 19 March 16, 202620 21 MOTION: Commissioner Clegg made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Tarpill,22 to approve the Minutes of the March 16, 2026, Regular Meeting as written. Vice Chair23 Rice abstained. The motion carried unanimously (4-0-1).24 25 III. GENERAL COMMISSION BUSINESS – PRELIMINARY REVIEW26 27 Planned Area Development (PAD) Preliminary Application Review for a proposed28 Car Wash Facility at 10 Dorset Crossing, (Assessor’s Map Block Lot I04 403 13C-F),29 Zone PAD. This review is non-binding and preliminary.30 31 Attorney Dwight Merrian, FACIP, Esq; Civil Engineer, Brandon Handfield,32 P.E. of Yantic River Consultants, LLC; Architect, Rocco Petitto, AIA of QA+M33 Architecture; and Landscape Architect, Biff Schechinger, ASLA provided overviews34 of their areas of expertise.35 36 37 38 Page 2 of 4 IV. NEW BUSINESS39 40 Zoning Compliance Review of the Town of Simsbury, Owner; for a sign permit to41 reface one existing freestanding sign for Simsbury Public Schools: The New Path42 Program at 2 Farms Village Road (Assessor’s Map Block Lot F11 148 019) Simsbury,43 Zone PO.44 45 Code Compliance Officer Hollis provided an overview of the proposed refacing. The46 Board recommended a redo with a focus on the illustration and font placement.47 48 Zoning Compliance Review of NRE Simsbury TIC 1, LLC a.k.a. Craig Forman,49 Owner; Darin Senna, Applicant, for sign permit to install one ± 31s.f. wall sign and one50 ± 1 s.f. window sign for the tenant fit out of Extra Space Storage at 70 Hopmeadow51 Street (Map Block Lot E18 117 001-2A), Simsbury, Zone I-1/PAD.52 53 Gerian Williams, Permitting Tech of Hartford Sign & Design provided an overview of54 the proposed signage consisting of the wall sign being a layered composite acrylic panel55 and the window sign being nonilluminated vinyl.56 57 MOTION: Vice Chair Rice made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Tarpill, moved58 that the Design Review Board submits a positive referral for the Zoning Compliance59 Review of NRE Simsbury TIC 1, LLC a.k.a. Craig Forman, Owner; Darin Senna,60 Applicant, for sign permit to install one ± 31s.f. wall sign and one ± 1 s.f. window sign61 for the tenant fit out of Extra Space Storage at 70 Hopmeadow Street (Map Block Lot62 E18 117 001-2A), Simsbury, Zone I-1/PAD. The referral is based on the following63 conditions:64 65 1. The project shall be developed in substantial conformance with the sign plan titled,66 “Extra Space Storage” prepared by Identiti Resources, LTD, stamped received by67 the Simsbury Planning Department on March 27, 2026.68 69 2. Staff can approve minor modifications to the approved plans prior to70 implementation in the field.71 72 The motion carried unanimously (5-0-0).73 74 Application ZC #26-05 of Gradbros Hopmeadow, LLC, Owner, and JP Morgan Chase75 Bank, Applicant, for site plan approval to develop a 3,432 s.f. financial institution76 (bank) and related site improvements at 730 Hopmeadow Street (Map Block Lot G1077 227 002), Simsbury, Zone SC.78 79 Jennifer Porter, Esq., of CSG Law and Don Fernandez, Architect at Stonefield80 Engineering and Design, provided overviews of their areas of expertise concerning the81 Page 3 of 4 revisions made based upon the Board’s previous recommendation of column revisions82 and materials. The Board made recommendations on sign placement, elevation height,83 and colors of materials.84 85 MOTION: Commissioner Dragulski made a motion, seconded by Vice Chair Rice,86 that the Design Review Board submits a positive referral on Application ZC #26-05 of87 Gradbros Hopmeadow, LLC, Owner, and JP Morgan Chase Bank, Applicant, for site88 plan approval to develop a 3,432 s.f. financial institution (bank) and related site89 improvements at 730 Hopmeadow Street (Map G10, Block 227, Lot 002), Simsbury,90 Zone SC. upon a finding the application substantially meets the applicable design91 guidelines and the Simsbury Center Code with the following conditions:92 93 1. The project shall be developed in substantial conformance with the following94 plans: a. Site Plan titled, “Site Plans for Chase Bank” prepared by Stonefield95 Engineering and Design dated March 18, 2026. b. Architectural Plan titled,96 “Project No. 1525235-00” prepared by TPG Architecture, LLP dated March 18,97 2026.98 99 2. Prior to building permit, the applicant shall submit a lighting plan and revised100 architectural drawings to the satisfaction of the Planning Department.101 102 3. The applicant shall submit a sign plan for Design Review approval prior to103 implementation.104 105 4. The applicant shall consider recommendations given at this meeting.106 107 Commissioner Clegg opposed the motion. The motion carried (4-1-0).108 109 Application ZC 25-33 of LW Realty, Owner, Greg Girard Applicant; for a site plan110 approval to construct seven (7) small individual warehouse buildings ranging from111 1,200 s.f. to 2,000 s.f., contractor storage space, and one office structure at 80 Wolcott112 Rd. (Assessor’s Map Block Lot I02 439 009), Zone I-2.113 114 Mr. Girard provided an overview of the proposed warehouses and office structure115 consisting of the building elevations, colors, and plantings. The Board recommended116 different colors among the warehouses and the addition of an overhang to each front117 entry way.118 119 Commissioner Clegg left the meeting at 6:29 P.M.120 121 MOTION: Commissioner Tarpill made a motion, seconded by Vice Chair Rice, that122 the Design Review Board submits a positive referral for Application ZC 25-33 of LW123 Realty, Owner, Greg Girard Applicant; for a site plan approval to construct seven (7)124 Page 4 of 4 small individual warehouse buildings ranging from 1,200 s.f. to 2,000 s.f., contractor125 storage space, and one office structure at 80 Wolcott Rd. (Assessor’s Map I02, Block126 439, Lot 009), Zone I-2. The referral is subject to the following conditions:127 128 1.) Prior to building permit issuance, the applicant shall submit a screening detail to129 the satisfaction of the Planning Department.130 131 2.) Prior to building permit issuance, the applicant shall submit a lighting plan to the132 satisfaction of the Planning Department.133 134 3.) The project shall be developed in substantial conformance to the following plans:135 136 1. Site Plan titled, “Site Plan Prepared for Compass Enterprises, Inc” prepared by137 Alford Associates, Inc. dated March 14, 2025 revised March 6, 2026.138 139 2. Architectural sheets prepared by Lester Buildings stamped received by the140 Planning Department December 8, 2025.141 142 3. Photometric plan titled, “Site Lighting Photometric Calculation” prepared by143 Electrical Systems Technologies, Inc. dated February 4, 2026.144 145 4. Recommendations considered given by the Board on April 6, 2026146 147 4.) Minor modifications to the approved plans may be approved by Planning148 Department Staff prior to implementation in the field.149 150 The motion carried unanimously (4-0-0).151 152 V. ADJOURNMENT153 154 MOTION: Commissioner Tarpill made a motion, seconded by Chair Lang, to adjourn155 the meeting. The motion carried unanimously (4-0-0).156 157 Chair Lang adjourned the meeting at 6:45158 159 Respectfully submitted,160 161 Amanda Blaze162 Commission Clerk163