At the Granby Center Advisory Committee meeting on Feb. 26, the BFJ Planning consultant firm presented preliminary recommendations for changes to the zoning regulations and design work for Granby Center.
The current Granby Center Zone includes three areas: the Center Commons, Center Edge, and Commercial Center Zones. The proposed zoning idea would create a Granby Center A (GC-A) Zone, which would be the area bounded by the Town Green to the west, East Granby Avenue to the north, Hartford Avenue to the South, and to the east, it would include Geissler’s Plaza and the vacant property on the corner of Bank Street and Hartford Avenue.
This new GC-A zone would be the primary commercial core. Surrounding it would be the Granby Center B (GC-B) Zone. The Center Commons and Center Edge Zones further out from the center core area would be unchanged.
BFJ recommends that in the GC-A Zone some commercial uses that currently require a special permit approval become permitted uses. These uses would include retail sales, mixed use buildings, multi-family use, banks/financial institutions, personal services and retail sales of alcoholic beverages.
BFJ also discussed the following recommendations: to provide a maximum front yard setback from local and state streets; to include a provision to allow a slight increase in building height from 45 feet to 48 feet for mixed use buildings; and to reduce the lot size for multi-family developments in this area only.
Following the discussion of the proposed zones, the committee reviewed design renderings. BFJ showed a potential townhouse development on the corner of Hartford Avenue and Bank Street and a potential mixed-use building at the corner of East Granby Road and Bank Street. While these properties are privately owned and there are no applications pending before the Planning and Zoning Commission, the purpose of the renderings was to provide examples of possible developments.
BFJ also showed streetscape improvements along Bank Street, including additional trees, sidewalk, benches, lighting and a raised crosswalk. Design ideas for the town green were also presented and included an expansion of the town green through the removal of a portion of Park Place, the short town road on the east side of the green.
The committee discussed the zoning and design ideas in detail. It was noted that buffers between residential and commercial uses are important. Overall, there was support among the committee to simplify the zones and BFJ was asked to consider how the GC-A and GC-B Zones could be consolidated. To allow BFJ time to prepare items for discussion and the committee time to review, the public workshop scheduled for April 3 has been postponed until May 15.
To access the BFJ Planning presentation, with many maps and streetscape renderings, visit https://www.granby-ct.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1895/BFJ-Presentation-2_26_2025-PDF