Rejected Day Care Facility Back Before Southington Officials

SOUTHINGTON, CT — A new daycare center/preschool project shot down by the zoning board in January due to safety concerns is now back before Southington land-use officials.

The Southington Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday, March 7, will conduct a public hearing and, possibly, vote on a revised proposal to build the new facility on Route 229.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. at Southington's John Weichsel Municipal Center Assembly Room 196 N. Main St.

"Southington West St. LLC" out of Southington has re-applied to the PZC for both special permit and site plan approvals to build a 10,000-square-foot day care center on property owned by Southington-based Lovely Development Inc.

The proposed development, which would be at 1268 West St. (Route 229), is in an area zoned residential, as the location was once the site of a single-family residence.

A day care facility called "The Learning Experience Academy of Early Education" is planned to go up there.

"The Learning Experience" is a Florida-based chain of "child development centers" with facilities throughout the country, including several in Connecticut.

It would serve children aged 6 weeks to 5 years old and offer afterschool care for children up to age 8 and would have featured a 5,000-square-foot playground and 40 parking spaces, according to project plans.

But the busy roadway combined with reservations about making left-hand turns there prompted significant worries from PZC members, who voted 5-2 Jan. 3 against the plan.

The developers, however, have made revisions since the initial application was shot down in the hopes of making the plan safer in the eyes of commission members.

According to engineer Timoth A. Coon of Russo Surveyors and Engineers out of East Windsor, who is working for the applicant, multiple revisions have been made to improve safety there.

"In response to their concerns, we have made substantive changes to the plans and are resubmitting for approval," wrote Coon to Southington Director of Planning & Community Development Maryellen Edwards.

They include, according to Coon:

• "Flipping" the site and moving the driveway to the southern end of the parcel, a move Coon said would add about 150 more feet of "sight distance" for motorists exiting the location.

• Moving the building back about 40 feet on the parcel, allowing for space to create a driveway "loop" there and allow for a one-way traffic pattern.

This, he said, adds space between the parking lot and the entrance and provides room for 14 cars to be able to quickly drop-off and pick-up children there.

PZC members had expressed worries the prior configuration was too cramped and feared for the safety of children and parents coming and going during the course of the day.

• Adding five more parking spaces to the site, upping it to 45.

• Reconfiguring the entrance to provide "unrestricted entry," but still featuring a right-turn exit only.

To see the agenda of the March 7 Southington Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, click on this link.

To see the engineer's letter to the town about the plan's changes, click on this link.

For all documents related to the 1268 West St. application, click on this link.

From Jan. 4: 'Large Childcare Center Plan Shot Down In Southington'