Cromwell Planning and Zoning unanimously approves 267-unit Berlin Road redevelopment

Planning and Zoning · Meeting of March 3, 2026

Cromwell planning board unanimously approves 267-unit mixed-use project on Berlin Road hotel site. The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-0 on all four applications from Alpine Residential LLC to redevelop 100 Berlin Road, site of a demolished-in-progress former 215-room hotel that has sat vacant for years. Attorney Megan Hope of Alter, Pearson, and Hope represented the applicant, outlining plans for two five-story residential buildings, a one-story 10,000-square-foot commercial building with a coffee shop, restaurant, retail, and medical office, a jewel-box amenity building, and 503 surface parking spaces.

Ten percent of the 267 units will be affordable, per a previously approved tax abatement agreement. Economic Development Coordinator Stuart Popper, also the town's former planning director, testified that the project represents a catalyst for the broader Route 372 corridor and that the phased 10-year tax abatement applies only to the building, not the land, meaning assessed land values on the 12.74-acre parcel will rise immediately. The commission also unanimously approved the temporary event permit for the 2026 Travelers Championship, June 22-28 at TPC River Highlights, with attorney David DeBascio noting more than $35 million has gone to Connecticut charities since Travelers became title sponsor in 2007.

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Source: the Planning and Zoning meeting of March 3, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

CROMWELL — March 3, 2026 — The Cromwell Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to approve four applications from Alpine Residential LLC to demolish the long-vacant hotel at 100 Berlin Road and replace it with a 267-unit mixed-use development that includes ground-floor retail, a coffee shop, a restaurant, and medical office space.

The commission also unanimously approved a temporary event permit for the 2026 Travelers Championship golf tournament, clearing the way for the PGA Tour's signature New England event to return to TPC River Highlights in Cromwell this June.

The Full Story

Chair Alice Kelly convened the regular meeting at 7 p.m. in Town Council Chambers at Cromwell Town Hall, 41 West Street. Seated on the commission were members Mike Cannata, Andrew Holt, and two alternates, John Comptois and Vincenzo Marfalo, the latter two voted into service at the meeting's outset.

The bigger agenda item was the redevelopment of 100 Berlin Road, the site of a former hotel with 215 rooms and a banquet facility that once seated 1,100 people. The building has been vacant for several years and has suffered extensive interior deterioration. Alpine Residential LLC, the development division of Beachville Residential, is under contract to purchase the 12.74-acre property from owner M360 Berlin Land Holdings LLC. Attorney Megan Hope of Alter, Pearson, and Hope in Glastonbury represented the applicant.

The commission considered and approved four separate applications: a special permit for the Special Flood Hazard Overlay District (application 26-03), a special permit to modify the previously approved master plan (26-04), a site plan modification (26-05), and a special permit for filling (26-06). Each vote was unanimous. The approvals are conditioned on the site plan being revised to address staff review comments from the town's director of planning and development, town engineer, zoning enforcement officer, chief building official, sewer administrator, public health director, fire marshal, and water operations manager.

The proposed development calls for two five-story multifamily residential buildings totaling approximately 120,000 square feet each, a one-story 10,000-square-foot commercial building along Berlin Road, a roughly 4,200-square-foot jewel-box indoor amenity building, and 503 surface parking spaces at 1.8 spaces per residential unit. Ten percent of the 267 units will be designated affordable, consistent with a previously negotiated tax abatement agreement approved by the Town Council. The commercial space is divided into a 4,000-square-foot coffee shop, 2,000 square feet of high-turnover sit-down restaurant, 2,000 square feet of general retail, and 2,000 square feet of medical or dental office.

Several Christian Hill Road residents spoke during public comment, raising concerns about lighting spillover onto neighboring properties, pedestrian intrusion along a proposed nature trail that runs to a sewer easement, traffic on an already-congested Berlin Road corridor, and the building height of the nearest residential structure. The applicant's team responded with a foot-candle analysis showing light stopping at the edge of the parking areas, a balloon study conducted from multiple vantage points on Christian Hill Road that showed the proposed buildings would be largely screened by existing and proposed vegetation, and traffic modeling projecting that signal timing modifications at two key intersections would allow those intersections to operate as well as or better than existing conditions.

"I shouldn't have let the mayor go because he said a lot." [02:29:46] — Chris Cambori, public commenter, 10 Elm Drive

Economic Development Coordinator Stuart Popper, who also identified himself as the former director of planning and development for Cromwell, spoke in support of the application, noting that the tax abatement applies only to the building's assessed value, not to the land, and that land values on the 12-acre parcel are expected to rise substantially.

"Cromwell has changed very much over the last 14 years in a positive way." [02:43:00] — Stuart Popper, Cromwell Economic Development Coordinator

The commission noted its disappointment that the commercial square footage had shrunk from what was approved in 2022, and one commissioner pressed the applicant on its plan to attract tenants to the retail space, pointing out that a comparable development in Rocky Hill still has vacant commercial space. The applicant indicated it would address retail recruitment when it comes before the Town Council for assignment of the tax abatement agreement.

Earlier in the meeting, the commission unanimously approved the temporary event permit for the 2026 Travelers Championship. Attorney David DeBascio of Hinckley Allen, representing the Greater Hartford Community Foundation, noted that since Travelers became the tournament's title sponsor in 2007, more than $35 million has been distributed to over 1,000 local charities. Kevin Harrington, Senior Director of Operations for the Travelers Championship, confirmed the tournament will run June 22 through 28, one week later than in 2025, and outlined parking, road closure, and rideshare adjustments. The permit was approved with a full set of operational conditions including construction hours of 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. from June 15 through July 3, 2026.

"We feel like we can produce another world class event here in Cromwell with the same parameters that have previously been allowed." [00:24:27] — Kevin Harrington, Senior Director of Operations, Travelers Championship

The commission also voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing on application 26-09, a re-subdivision application at 2 Brookview Road, for the April 21 meeting.

Commission member James Demetriatus, attending as a public commenter rather than in his capacity on the commission, briefed members on legislative activity at the state capitol that could affect local zoning authority, including proposed modifications to a housing compromise passed last summer. He said he, Kelly, and Cannata were preparing a bipartisan letter to Cromwell's state representative and state senator opposing provisions that would restrict local authority over parking, setbacks, and subdivision requirements.

Why It Matters

The 100 Berlin Road approvals clear the way for the most significant redevelopment project on Cromwell's Route 372 commercial corridor in years. The applicant says it will seek Town Council approval to transfer the existing tax abatement agreement to Alpine Residential, complete utility disconnects, and begin demolition of the former hotel as early as this June. Construction of the residential buildings is expected to run from early 2027 through September 2028, when the applicant projects it will receive certificates of occupancy. At the site's assessed value under redevelopment, Cromwell's economic development coordinator estimated the project will generate substantially more tax revenue than the dormant property currently produces, even accounting for the existing 10-year phased tax abatement on the building. Residents of Christian Hill Road and Coles Road should expect significant construction traffic and earthwork activity — approximately 3,250 cubic yards of net soil export — beginning this summer.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Seat alternates John Comptois and Vincenzo Marfalo Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve amended agenda Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Schedule application 26-09 (re-subdivision at 2 Brookview Road) for public hearing on April 21 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve application 26-02, temporary event permit for the 2026 Travelers Championship at 100 Golf Club Road (applicant: Greater Hartford Community Foundation; owner: Tournament Players Club of Connecticut) Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Open public hearing for applications 26-03, 26-04, 26-05, 26-06 (100 Berlin Road redevelopment) Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Close public hearing Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve application 26-03, special permit for Special Flood Hazard Overlay District at 100 Berlin Road and 15R Christian Hill Road (Alpine Residential LLC / M360 Berlin Land Holdings LLC) Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve application 26-04, special permit to modify approved master plan at 100 Berlin Road and 15R Christian Hill Road (Alpine Residential LLC / M360 Berlin Land Holdings LLC) Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve application 26-05, site plan modification at 100 Berlin Road and 15R Christian Hill Road (Alpine Residential LLC / M360 Berlin Land Holdings LLC) Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve application 26-06, special permit for filling at 100 Berlin Road and 15R Christian Hill Road (Alpine Residential LLC / M360 Berlin Land Holdings LLC) Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Cromwell's community access TV: Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, March 3, 2026