New School Approved By Simsbury Zoning Officials

SIMSBURY, CT — The zoning board has given the OK for an office building to be sold to the Town of Simsbury and repurposed into a new school.

The Simsbury Zoning Commission on Sept. 3 unanimously approved a special exception permit that allows Simsbury Public Schools' plan to convert the office building at 2 Farms Village Road, Simsbury, into a new, in-house special education facility.

Specifically, the property owner and permit applicant, Girard Brothers Corp., obtained a "special exception permit" for the site.

The permit allows for the operation of a school there, as opposed to what the site is zoned for — a "planned office" or PO zone. The parcel was once the offices of Girard Brothers Construction.

The zoning board's vote paved the way for the town to officially purchase the office building for $1 million.

Last February, the Simsbury Board of Finance conducted a hearing on and approved that appropriation, which would come from the town's capital reserves.

Zoning officials discussed the application, with some expressing skepticism about the site's viability ot be a school.

Ultimately, commission members determined the application met the proper criteria for a special exception permit, prompting the unanimous vote.

"We're obligated to use those benchmarks for our decision," said Simsbury Zoning Commission Chairman Bruce H. Elliot.

The vote came after a quick public hearing in which only Simsbury Selectman Curtis Looney spoke as a member of the public.

Looney had concerns about traffic issues at that location, adding a nearby traffic light could be an issue during high-volume times of the day.

The school system is looking at the building purchase to garner long-term savings within the board of education's special education budget.

By doing special education in-house, according to a school report, the public school system said it expects to save as much as $500,000 annually by the third year after the building is purchased, with additional savings as time goes on.

When fully developed, the new building would have four classrooms designed to educate children with special needs, with two elementary-school level classrooms, along with one middle school and one high school classroom.

The new facility would educate up to 25 students, with Simsbury officials estimating up to 10 could be out of the district, meaning additional revenue to the local school system.

At its peak, the town estimates a $19.47 million special education budget under the current setup.

But if Simsbury does its special education in-house, it could save $1.3 million annually once everything is up and running long-term.

Now that the zoning board has said "yes," residents can expect to see work progress at the site.

"My understanding is the school district wants to get in there as soon as possible. They hope to get in there this fall," said Simsbury Planning Director George McGregor.

For the minutes of the Sept. 3 Simsbury Board of Selectmen meeting, click on this link.

From Aug. 28: 'Key Meeting Next Week On New Simsbury School Plans'