SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — South Windsor’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved the Talbot Lane warehouse site plan last week after taking up the matter again on court remand.
The application was originally received by the commission on July 13, 2021. It was filed by UW Vintage Lane II, LLC and seeks site plan approval for a 359,640-square-foot distribution facility on 30.37 acres at 5 and 25 Talbot Lane and 475 and 551 Governors Highway, on the southerly side of Governors Highway and easterly side of Talbot Lane in the industrial zone.
The commission first rejected a request to allow 12 exterior light poles on the western side of the site to be 35 feet high. It then unanimously approved the site plan with revised conditions.
Chair Paul Bernstein said the panel’s role was limited by the court’s ruling. “The commission does not have any discretion, but to comply with the court’s order,” he said, except on the separate light-pole waiver.
Bernstein said the application had first been denied, then appealed by the developer. He said the court found the commission had considered matters outside the scope of site plan review and sent the case back for revised conditions.
Residents again raised concerns before the vote.
One resident said, “Air quality strongly influences both lifespan and health span,” as she argued truck-heavy warehouse areas can worsen pollution near homes.
Another resident told commissioners, “Traffic is not a cosmetic issue. It is a public safety issue.” He said residents have repeatedly warned about congestion, truck traffic and emergency access problems tied to development.
Planning Director Michele Lipe said the commission could go either way on the waiver request. “You have had opportunity to grant them previously, but you are not required to grant them,” she said, referring to the taller light poles.
The commission then voted 7-0 against the lighting waiver. It later approved revised conditions and the full site plan unanimously.
Those conditions require truck queuing to stay on site and prohibit trucks from parking on Talbot Lane or Governors Highway while waiting to enter. They also require “No Idling” signs, continued planting within the buffer near homes, room for a future sidewalk along Governors Highway and no security gate at the truck entrance unless a future truck queuing plan is approved.
The commission also continued discussion of zoning changes tied to Public Act 25-1, which addresses housing in commercial areas and parking requirements. Lipe said the panel is expected to finalize the draft at its May 12 meeting so it can be sent to CRCOG ahead of a June public hearing.
Separately, the commission officially received two new applications: one for a commercial animal permit at 375 Rye St. and another seeking renewal of a temporary permit to store up to 50 campers at 317 Chapel Road.
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