Simsbury Zoning Board OK's New Liquor Store In Town

SIMSBURY, CT — Local zoning officials this month approved a special exception permit for a developer to open a new liquor store, called "Harvest Wine and Spirits" in Simsbury Center.

The vote was 4-1, with commission members David Ryan (chairman), Bruce Elliott, Anne Erickson and Diane Madigan voting "yes" and Jackie Battos being the lone dissenter.

Approved was a 1,187-square-foot store in the Simsbury Center Zone in a shopping plaza at 710 Hopmeadow St.

The applicant for the permit was GPF Drake Hill LLC, which is owned by Neeraj Gupta, who presented the application at the June 5 Simsbury Zoning Commission meeting.

It will be located in the former Battiston's dry cleaning operation in the plaza there.

Gupta is also the owner of "Harvest Wine and Spirits," which has multiple stores in West Hartford.

"We currently have multiple locations in West Hartford. They are very well rated, super nice buildouts, very high quality," Gupta said. "We intend of bringing the same kind of service to Simsbury."

The zoning board vote came after a brief public hearing in which only one person spoke about the plan.

Jim Pabich of West Street Wine & Spirits on West Street said there are eight liquor stores already in Simsbury, many within one mile of each other, including on Hopmeadow Street.

"I don't know how heavily that weighs in," Pabich said, expressing concern there are too many stores in too close an area in Simsbury.

"My concern is the proximity of too many stores in the center district," Pabich said, adding some stores in the area are struggling and questioned whether that was a good use of the site.

Commission members debated whether such a liquor store was a good use for the property and whether it was needed.

Some zoning board members said it's important to aid existing businesses in town.

"Within a mile, we have three package stores. I just don't know if that's what we want to do. It gives me pause," said Madigan, who ultimately voted in favor of the application, however.

Members said "yes" to the plan because members said their purview is not to determine a businesses' future, especially since this is a vacant spot in a shopping plaza, a plaza that once had a package store many years ago anyway.

"The market, to some extent, takes care of those things," said Ryan. "What our role is to determine if that is a safe place and whether it fits in the community. Not whether it's a good business decision and impacts somebody else."

For the minutes of the June 4 Simsbury Zoning Commission meeting, click on this link.