A development team seeking predevelopment feedback on a Commerce Drive project described plans to replace two commercial buildings at the Commerce Drive/Kings Highway corner with a residential building, a public plaza intended for permanent public art and retail or restaurant space along Kings Highway.

The project team said the retail frontage would sit at the zoning minimum 10-foot setback and proposed inset parallel parking between the property line and curb “to give a more intimate pedestrian environment,” architect Cielen (principal, Bionfield Architecture) told the committee. “We intentionally created a plaza … a place of public art. So it's truly a public space.”

Committee members pressed the team on sidewalks, sight lines and utility poles. The project team said portions of the stretch currently have no sidewalk and that sidewalk on an adjacent daycare property stops at its parcel; the team said they plan to extend sidewalks along their property and would coordinate with the daycare owner where needed. The developers said they have initiated conversations with UI (United Illuminating) about power poles and that poles feeding the train station are not movable.

The team proposed six inset parallel spaces along Kings Highway and said the Local Traffic Authority recommended limiting those curbside spaces to two-hour durations; the team said the limited curb parking is intended to slow traffic and support short-term retail use, not to serve long-term parking or train-station commuters. The project team said residential units will include on-site bike storage rooms and indicated that public bike racks will be provided near the curbside spaces.

Committee members also discussed street trees and the tree warden’s role in plantings, and asked whether the parking counts were required by current zoning or discretionary. The developers said the on-site parking satisfies existing zoning requirements — citing a residential ratio of about 1.25 spaces per unit and a commercial requirement of roughly 1 per 250 square feet — and that broader changes to parking rules will be considered as part of upcoming zoning revisions.

The team asked the committee for feedback and said they plan to submit their formal application in late June or early July, with construction likely beginning in early next year if approved. The presentation drew detailed questions about curb setbacks, the presence of utility poles, sidewalk continuity, crosswalk locations and whether the inset parking would reduce pedestrian space; committee members asked the development team to continue coordination with engineering, the tree warden and the town zoning office.

The discussion was procedural feedback only; no formal approvals by the committee were recorded at the meeting.

The committee requested follow-up materials and noted it expects further review as the team proceeds to formal application.