Zoning Panel Deadlocks on Dorset Car Wash

Planning and Zoning · Meeting of October 19, 2026

Simsbury's Zoning Commission deadlocked 3-3 twice on a proposed car wash at Dorset Crossing, leaving the application neither approved nor denied. Attorney Dwight Merriam represented applicant Dorset Crossing LLC; attorney Jane Warren represented an intervenor who argued the project does not meet the town's enclosure, attendance and recycling definitions for a car wash. Warren said studies show 33 percent of wash water bypasses the public sewer system near the site's aquifer.

A hazardous materials expert for the applicant countered that less than half a gallon of water drips off each car after washing. "We have failed to approve the application," the chairman said after the second vote failed. The commission separately voted 6-0 to schedule a Dec. 14 public hearing on an affordable-housing application at 200 Hop Meadow Street filed under the state's 8-30g statute, and approved, 6-0, a sign permit for the Residences at Talcott.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 793 words

Source: the Planning and Zoning meeting of October 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

SIMSBURY — October 19, 2026 — The Simsbury Zoning Commission deadlocked 3-3 twice Monday on a proposed car wash at Dorset Crossing, leaving the site plan application neither approved nor denied after months of review.

Attorney Dwight Merriam represented applicant Dorset Crossing LLC. Attorney Jane Warren represented an intervenor who lives on West Lincoln Road. The same meeting, the commission voted unanimously, 6-0, to schedule a Dec. 14 public hearing at the Simsbury Town Library on a separate site plan application for an affordable-housing development at 200 Hop Meadow Street, filed under the state's 8-30g statute. The commission also approved, 6-0, a sign permit for the Residences at Talcott apartment complex on One Old Canal Way.

The Full Story

The car wash case, application ZC 26-19, centered on a proposed 7,275-square-foot car wash at 10 Dorset Crossing, inside a planned area development the commission had already approved for the site. Merriam told commissioners the project conforms to the town's Plan of Conservation and Development and was embraced by the Design Review Board from its first pre-application meeting. He argued state environmental regulators do not classify car washes as a regulated activity in aquifer protection areas when wastewater is captured and sent to a public sewer system.

"I can't find a single instance where any car wash in any aquifer, pre-regulation or post-regulation, has ever caused problems for that water supply," Merriam told the commission.

Warren countered that the project does not meet the zoning regulations' definition of a car wash, which she said requires the facility to be fully enclosed, attended around the clock and capable of recycling all wash water. She said studies submitted by the applicant show roughly 33 percent of water used in the wash is not directed to the public sewer and instead reaches catch basins near the aquifer.

"Your aquifer protection regulations are virtually identical to the state regulations," Warren said.

Commissioners also debated conflicting statements in a Department of Energy and Environmental Protection memo over whether the agency had been told construction was occurring on the site when it reviewed potential impacts to protected species. Plato Dundalakis, identified as a certified hazardous materials manager testifying for the applicant, told the commission measurements show less than half a gallon of water drips off a car after leaving the wash, with roughly 90 percent of wash water recycled. Warren's side relied on an unnamed licensed environmental professional who concluded hazardous materials used at the site would not be fully recycled or contained.

Before voting, commissioners polled 3-3 on whether the intervenor had proven the project posed unreasonable pollution risk. Commissioners then split 3-3 on a motion to approve the site plan, which would have set operating hours, required a $20,000 erosion control bond and mandated that the facility recycle at least 50 percent of wash water. The motion failed. A follow-up motion to formally deny the application also failed 3-3.

"We have failed to approve the application," the chairman told the commission after the second vote.

Why It Matters

The deadlock leaves the long-vacant Dorset Crossing commercial pad without a resolution, and it leaves unresolved whether the car wash's wastewater handling meets the town's own aquifer protection definitions, a question tied directly to the drinking water supply beneath the site. Separately, the commission's Dec. 14 public hearing on the 200 Hop Meadow Street application will test how Simsbury handles a filing made under Connecticut's 8-30g affordable housing statute, which can limit the town's usual zoning authority over such projects. Residents can weigh in at that hearing, set for 7 p.m. at the Simsbury Town Library.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approve Sept. 23, 2026 special meeting minutes Tally: For: 5, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 6 - Vote: Approve Sept. 23, 2026 regular meeting minutes, as amended Tally: For: 5, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 6 - Vote: Approve Oct. 5, 2026 special meeting minutes Tally: For: 5, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 6 - Vote: Approve Oct. 5, 2026 regular meeting minutes Tally: For: 5, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 6 - Vote: Schedule Dec. 14 public hearing on ZC 26-29, affordable housing application at 200 Hop Meadow Street Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve ZC 26-27 sign permit for Residences at Talcott, One Old Canal Way, with condition moving "Eagle Rock Community" text to back of sign Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve site plan for ZC 26-19 car wash at Dorset Crossing Tally: For: 3, Against: 3, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 (motion failed) - Vote: Deny site plan for ZC 26-19 car wash at Dorset Crossing Tally: For: 3, Against: 3, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 (motion failed)

Source

Simsbury Community Media: Planning and Zoning meeting, October 19, 2026