Cromwell Planning Board Sets March Hearings for Garage, Walmart EV Charger Applications
Planning and Zoning · Meeting of February 17, 2026
Cromwell Planning and Zoning schedules two March hearings and accepts withdrawal of crushing permit. The commission, chaired by Alice Kelly, voted unanimously at its February 17 meeting to schedule application 2607 — a special permit for a garage exceeding 1,000 square feet at 20 Cedar Drive, applied for by Tammy and Stephen LaPointe — for a public hearing on March 17. The board also set application 2608, a site plan revision for Walmart to add two electric vehicle charging stations and expanded ADA parking spaces, for the same March 17 meeting without a public hearing.
Town Planner Armstrong read into the record an email from Robert Galito of Galito Construction stating he was withdrawing application 25-35, a special permit for crushing operations at 150 Sabethy Drive, pending preparation of a proper erosion and sediment control plan; the commission accepted the withdrawal without prejudice and indicated it would consider waiving the reapplication fee. Commissioners also raised unresolved questions about a proposed nature path at 100 Berlin Road that appears to terminate at the Mattabasset sewer trunk line with no confirmed public access at Berlin Road.
In the full story:
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Source: the Planning and Zoning meeting of February 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
CROMWELL — February 17, 2026 — The Cromwell Planning and Zoning Commission scheduled two applications for its March 17 meeting, accepted the withdrawal of a special permit request for a crushing operation, and spent much of the remainder of its session discussing revised plans for a large residential development at 100 Berlin Road.
Commission Chair Alice Kelly presided over the regular meeting, which ran through new business quickly before turning to extended informal discussion of the 100 Berlin Road project, a site that already holds an approved plan but is now under revision.
The Full Story
The commission opened by amending its agenda to add application 2608, a site plan revision for Walmart at an unspecified Cromwell address, covering the addition of two electric vehicle charging stations and several parking modifications. Town Planner Armstrong explained that Walmart also proposed converting a number of existing spaces into larger ADA-compliant spots. Armstrong noted the revision does not require a public hearing but does need staff review before the board can act.
"They literally are coming back into just one little area to make a few small changes. One is to add two EV chargers. The other is to take a few spaces and make them larger ADA spaces that are in the middle of the parking." [00:01:32] — Town Planner Armstrong
The commission then voted to schedule application 2607, a special permit request from applicant Tammy LaPointe and owner Stephen LaPointe for construction of a garage in excess of 1,000 square feet at 20 Cedar Drive, for a public hearing on March 17. Application 2608, the Walmart site plan revision, was also set for March 17, but without a public hearing requirement.
On the public hearing calendar, application 25-35 from Galito Construction LLC — a special permit under section 5-6A of the Cromwell zoning regulations to allow crushing operations at 150 Sabethy Drive, with Rhonda LLC listed as property owner — was withdrawn by the applicant. Armstrong read into the record an email from Robert Galito of Galito Construction, received February 17 at 2:10 p.m., stating that Galito was withdrawing the application and intended to reapply with a proper erosion and sediment control plan. The commission accepted the withdrawal without prejudice and indicated it would consider waiving the reapplication fee.
A substantial portion of the meeting was devoted to informal review of newly received revised plans for 100 Berlin Road. Armstrong told commissioners the plans had arrived that afternoon at 4 p.m. and were being distributed so members could review them ahead of a second staff review involving engineering, fire, water, and police departments. Commissioner Nick Dimitriadis raised questions about a nature path shown on plan sheet LS1 that appears to terminate at the Mattabasset trunk sewer line easement.
"Do they need permission from the sewer department to be using the trunk line as a nature path? Because that's basically what they're doing." [00:21:57] — Commissioner Nick Dimitriadis
Dimitriadis also questioned whether the path, which follows the trunk line toward Berlin Road, provides any usable public access at its far end or simply dead-ends against an embankment. Armstrong acknowledged she could not answer that question and said the commission should direct it to the applicant's attorney at the hearing.
Commission members also expressed dissatisfaction with the site's proposed entrance design compared to a previously approved development at the same location, referred to in the discussion as the Lexington Partners plan. Chair Kelly and at least one other member said the current entrance configuration was inferior to the prior roundabout design.
Armstrong separately updated commissioners on mandatory training requirements for land use board members, noting that the four-hour training — which includes one hour of fair housing content — was implemented in 2023 and carries a four-year compliance window. Members who attended the annual land use law conference at Wesleyan University after mid-2023 may be able to apply that attendance toward the requirement with appropriate documentation.
Why It Matters
The March 17 hearing on application 2607 at 20 Cedar Drive will be the first formal public proceeding on the LaPointe garage permit, giving neighbors their first opportunity to comment. The Walmart site plan revision on the same agenda affects a major retail property and involves both accessibility improvements and the installation of EV infrastructure. The withdrawal of the Galito Construction crushing permit at 150 Sabethy Drive means that operation cannot proceed until the applicant returns with an erosion and sediment control plan; no timeline for reapplication was stated at the meeting. The 100 Berlin Road project, which involves a multi-story residential development visible from Christian Hill Road, remains in staff review with no hearing date yet set.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Accept agenda as amended to add application 2608 Tally: Approved unanimously
- Vote: Accept and schedule application 2607 (LaPointe garage special permit, 20 Cedar Drive) for public hearing on March 17 Tally: Approved unanimously
- Vote: Accept and schedule application 2608 (Walmart EV charging station site plan revision) for March 17 meeting Tally: Approved unanimously
- Vote: Accept withdrawal of application 25-35 (Galito Construction crushing operations, 150 Sabethy Drive) without prejudice, with consideration of waiving reapplication fee Tally: Approved unanimously
- Vote: Approve minutes of February 3 meeting as amended Tally: Approved unanimously
- Vote: Adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Cromwell's community access TV: Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, February 17, 2026