The Farmington Town Plan and Zoning Commission voted 4-2 on June 8 to deny a special permit for a new home at 8638 Pine Drive in the Lake Garda neighborhood.
Elizabeth and Manuel Coelho can still build the house.
That clarification came from Town Planner Shannon Rutherford after the vote: the commission had reviewed the application and found it wanting, but its authority to do so rested on a single 5-foot lot-line adjustment the Coelhos had proposed earlier this year. Without that adjustment, the house sits outside the commission's reach entirely.
How a Boundary Move Became the Story
The Coelhos own two adjacent lots on Pine Drive in Farmington's R9 LG zone, the Lake Garda residential district. The parcel at 8638 Pine Drive was 50 feet wide. The adjoining lot at 11 Pine Drive was also theirs. A proposed boundary adjustment would shift 5 feet from 11 Pine Drive to 8638, bringing that lot's frontage to 55 feet.
That 5-foot shift cleared a threshold in the R9 LG regulations. The zone requires a special permit when a proposed home exceeds 1,600 square feet of living area or 2,200 square feet total. The Coelhos' proposed home, a one-story, contemporary-design structure with four bedrooms and an in-law suite, 21 feet tall and 43 feet wide, had a footprint of approximately 2,540 square feet. On a 55-foot lot, that triggered the special permit requirement and a full commission hearing.
What the Commission Heard
The commission spent several hours on the application on June 8. The central concern, raised by multiple commissioners, was visual dominance: whether the home's scale fit the character of the Lake Garda neighborhood.
Commissioners Robert Canto, Lisa Fagan, Philip Cordero, Josh Davidson, and David St. Germain all raised the neighborhood-character question. Two written letters came in from neighbors in support: Diana Rodriguez of 17 Pine Drive and the Lostrapo family of 9 Colony Road. One neighbor, Charles Yance of 14 Colony Road, submitted public comment expressing concern about stormwater running downhill toward adjacent properties. The commission also discussed the placement of a propane tank and its clearance from a neighboring generator.
After deliberation, the commission voted 4-2 to deny. Commissioners Canto, Zarella, St. Germain, and Fagan voted no. The two votes in favor were not definitively identified in the meeting record.
What Happens Next
After the vote, Rutherford explained the regulatory position.
The original 50-foot lot at 8638 Pine Drive predates the current R9 LG regulations. Because of that, the Coelhos have an as-of-right path to build on it without a special permit and without commission approval. The house would be 40 feet wide instead of 43, three feet narrower than what the commission reviewed, because the structure's dimensions track the reduced frontage. Otherwise the project proceeds on the same design.
The lot-line adjustment was what put the application in front of the commission. The commission voted. The Coelhos can proceed without making that adjustment.
The Farmington Mercury will continue covering TPZ as the commission's calendar moves into summer. Follow all Farmington government coverage at farmingtonmercury.com/government.
This coverage of Farmington town government is brought to you by Farmington Storage — conveniently located on Route 6 in Farmington, offering clean, secure, climate-controlled units for households and businesses. farmington-storage.com
Jack Beckett | Staff Writer, The Farmington Mercury
The Farmington Mercury is Farmington's local news source — always last to breaking news, always worth the wait. farmingtonmercury.com