Groton Planning and Zoning Commission - 10/22/26

The Groton Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on October 22, 2026, focused on staff and consultant recommendations for encouraging “missing middle” housing; no procurement activity was identified. The commission reviewed possible future zoning changes involving cottage communities, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), flag lots, minimum lot sizes and widths, setbacks, building and lot coverage, and allowing more homes under the International Residential Code. Members expressed interest in revisiting cottage-community standards and expanding housing options, while raising concerns about larger cottage sizes, owner-occupancy requirements for ADUs, short-term rentals, neighborhood impacts, and the distinction between building coverage and impervious surface. Discussion was exploratory: no motions or votes adopting changes were recorded, and no contracts, vendors, spending, or capital purchases were considered.

Staff said the recommendations will inform a final report due at the end of December, with potential zoning drafting and further commission review expected in 2027. The commission also discussed a consultant’s Greater Poquonnock Bridge build-out scenario estimating roughly 650–844 additional housing units over about 20–30 years under a range of assumptions; members asked for clearer explanations of the assumptions and timeframe, and for flood-prone or environmentally constrained parcels to be excluded. Potential state-level legislative recommendations, such as expanding IRC allowances, were also raised, but no policy changes were adopted.