Granby’s 10-Year Plan Calls For More Housing, Sidewalks

GRANBY, CT — Granby’s proposed roadmap for the next decade calls for more housing options, additional sidewalks and carefully targeted commercial development while preserving the open space and rural character residents said they value.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed 2026-36 Plan of Conservation and Development at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the Town Hall Meeting Room. Residents may also participate through Zoom.

The state requires municipalities to update the planning document every 10 years. Although it does not approve individual projects, the plan is intended to guide future decisions involving zoning, housing, roads, conservation, municipal facilities and capital spending.

The central challenge outlined in the 92-page draft plan is accommodating growth without losing what residents like about Granby. The document describes that goal as “preserving rural character while ensuring long-term fiscal sustainability and service quality.”

Housing is one of the plan’s largest areas of focus. Granby has 4,433 housing units, with 83 percent consisting of detached single-family homes and 88 percent occupied by their owners. The median home value is $363,300, and 13 percent of homeowners with a mortgage spend more than half of their income on housing, according to data cited in the plan.

The proposal recommends encouraging senior, workforce and affordable housing in areas that can support it. Possible steps include allowing single-family homes on smaller lots where public infrastructure is available, reviewing rules for accessory apartments and considering density bonuses or simpler approval processes for certain housing projects.

The plan does not recommend placing dense development throughout town. It calls for discouraging high-density uses in rural areas without adequate infrastructure and continuing to cluster homes where doing so would preserve farmland and open space.

Public feedback showed concern about the effects of additional housing. The leading concern among survey respondents and workshop participants was the loss of open space, farmland and forests. Increased traffic and possible effects on waterways, wetlands and wildlife habitat followed.

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The town’s tax base also shapes the recommendations. Residential property accounts for about 92 percent of Granby’s grand list. Roughly 1,000 acres are zoned for commercial or industrial uses, but about 210 acres of that land contain mapped wetlands, leaving approximately 790 acres available for commercial development.

The draft says Granby “will never be a regional employer or regional shopping center.” Instead, it recommends concentrating compatible business growth in Granby Center and along the Route 10 corridor, where water, sewer and natural gas service are already available.

Nearly three-quarters of residents responding to a planning survey said the goods or services offered by a prospective business mattered more than the tax revenue or jobs it could generate. Respondents generally supported additional business activity in existing commercial zones, except near Cossitt Library and the North Granby Post Office.

For Granby Center, the plan recommends considering a new zoning district that could allow a broader mix of stores, restaurants, offices and housing. It also calls for reviewing parking requirements, identifying underused properties and determining whether more sites can connect to public water and sewer.

Transportation recommendations include filling gaps in the sidewalk system, adding crosswalks and linking nearby residential areas with Granby Center. The plan also proposes studying a bicycle and pedestrian connection to the Farmington Valley Greenway along Route 189.

Residents identified additional sidewalks and crosswalks around Granby Center and along Salmon Brook Street between Salmon Brook Park and the Stop & Shop area as priorities. The plan also recommends considering a pedestrian connection between the Holcomb Farm store and the main farm campus.

Other possible improvements include extending Merchants Way, adding lighting and benches in Granby Center and installing signs to make the commercial area easier to navigate.

Conservation remains a major part of the proposal. More than 9,100 acres, or 35 percent of Granby’s land, is permanently protected. Survey and workshop participants identified protecting natural resources and farmland as the town’s top priority for the next decade.

Following the public hearing, the Planning and Zoning Commission will decide whether to adopt the plan. The commission may also revise the proposal before taking a vote.

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