Zoning board rejects gas station beer permit

Planning and Zoning · Meeting of September 28, 2026

Farmington's Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-2 to deny a beer-sales permit for GG Mart on Farmington Avenue. Commissioners Bob Canto, Phil Cordero, Josh Davidson and Liz Sanford opposed the application; David St. Germain and Peter Zarella supported it.

Owner Saban Purhartan, represented by attorney David Beck, argued the convenience store qualified under state grocery-permit rules, but Davidson calculated grocery sales at roughly 47 percent of revenue, below the needed threshold, and cited the site's closeness to a ballfield playground and the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Highland Package Store owner Dave, across the street, submitted opposition petitions, warning of a "domino effect to the community." The same meeting unanimously approved a 46-lot Snowberry Lane subdivision and adopted updated FEMA flood maps effective November 13, 2026, into the town's zoning and subdivision regulations.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,153 words

Source: the Planning and Zoning meeting of September 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.

The Full Article

New Business: Sign Applications

Background and stakes: Two routine sign applications opened the meeting. Pete Zarello's Relentless Performance, a new business at 170 Scott Swamp Road in a CR zone, sought an unlit attached sign. A larger application came from 1599 Southeast Road LLC, whose building straddles the Farmington-Newington line and needed a coordinated "unified" sign package for four tenants.

The question before the body: whether the proposed signage met the town's square-footage formulas, and, for the Southeast Road building, whether to allow future illuminated signs under a rule the commission is actively reconsidering.

Substantive content: For Relentless Performance, staff calculated the building's 120 linear feet of frontage allowed 120 square feet of signage; the applicant's proposed sign, including logo, totaled 67 square feet. For 1599 Southeast Road, the building's full 325.74 linear feet of frontage was pooled into a single allotment split among Goldfish Swim School (which falls under Newington's zoning and was separately approved there by Eric Hinckley, Newington's acting town planner), KidStrong, a yet-to-be-determined tenant and a Coldstone Creamery location, each at 35 square feet, plus two 74-square-foot signs for Hanoush Jewelry. The Hanoush and KidStrong-area signs are designed with halo illumination, a lighting style currently prohibited under Farmington's sign regulations but under active review by the commission.

The deliberation: Commissioner Rob Ingbertson initially mistook the twin 74-square-foot signs for a single oversized one before the presenter, identified on the call only as Steve, clarified they faced different streets. Alternate Lisa Fagan questioned why the commission would let an applicant install illumination equipment it currently prohibits.

"Why would we be allowing the illumination if it's prohibited?" [00:10:37] — Lisa Fagan, alternate commissioner

Staff explained the commission had allowed the same approach for a Batterson Park business: the signs would be installed but kept dark unless and until the commission changes the illumination rule. Commissioner Josh Davidson and Phil Cordero both praised the applicant's cooperation with two municipalities' sign codes.

Procedural steps and outcome: The Relentless Performance sign was approved on a motion by a commissioner, seconded, with one recorded abstention and no opposition. The 1599 Southeast Road LLC sign package was approved unanimously, conditioned on the halo-lit signs remaining unlit until the commission revises its illumination rule.

Implications: Both businesses can proceed to building permits; the Southeast Road tenants' illuminated signage remains on hold pending a separate, still-pending rule change.

New Business: Acceptance of Five Applications for Public Hearing

Background and stakes: Before opening its scheduled public hearings, the commission accepted five new applications to be formally noticed and heard Oct. 26, 2026.

The question before the body: whether each application was complete enough to accept and schedule.

Substantive content: Four were home-based cottage food business and farm stand permits — for Navina Gulapa at 22 Westgate Road (R-40 cluster zone), Tracy Tribusio at 5 Westgate Road (R-40 cluster zone), an applicant on an R-30 open-space zoned property whose name was not captured on the recording, and Shannon Sprawls at 16 Wells Drive (R-20 zone). Staff noted each public notice will specifically add "farm stand" language that had been omitted from the cottage-food permit description. The fifth was a zone-change application from JBS Developers LLC, seeking to rezone 598 Plainville Avenue from R-40 to an active-adult housing zone for an 18-unit development, with a companion special permit and site plan review.

Deliberation and outcome: Each was moved, seconded and accepted on a unanimous voice vote, with the same Oct. 26, 2026 hearing date recommended for all five.

Implications: Residents near these five properties will receive formal hearing notices; the Plainville Avenue zone change, the most substantial of the five, will need its own hearing record before any vote on the 18-unit project.

Public Hearing: GG Mart Special Permit for Beer Sales, 1387 Farmington Avenue

Background and stakes: This hearing, continued from June 22, 2026, concerned a request by Saban Purhartan, who has operated the convenience store at the Valero gas station at 1387 Farmington Avenue for just over a year, for zoning certification that he qualifies for a state grocery store beer permit. Connecticut law restricts new liquor outlets within 1,500 feet of an existing one absent a town zoning exception; Highland Package Store sits across the street.

The question before the body: whether to grant the zoning exception required for Purhartan's state application, under a four-part test covering outlet concentration, harmony with the area's zoning purposes, proximity to schools, churches, playgrounds and residential zones, and traffic or safety impacts.

Substantive content: Attorney David Beck, representing Purhartan, argued the 1,500-foot restriction should not categorically bar the application, noting the legislature has already permitted qualifying gas stations to sell beer under a "grocery permit," and that his client's business is roughly 500 to 550 feet from Highland Package Store, measured property line to property line using GIS data presented by staff. Beck also noted comparable distances elsewhere in town: roughly 730 feet between the former Parsons building and a Unionville bottle shop, and about 720 feet between the bottle shop and a Stop & Shop property line.

Commissioner Davidson pressed Purhartan's submitted financial statement, which broke out expenses, grocery sales, and tobacco and vape sales in separate columns, plus a "commission" column representing Purhartan's cut of gasoline sales (he does not own the fuel he sells; he earns a per-gallon commission paid roughly a month in arrears). Davidson recalculated the figures including gas and lottery commissions as revenue and found grocery sales at about 47.1 percent of the total, below the roughly 50 percent threshold he said the Connecticut grocery beer permit statute generally requires, and noted the statute's description of qualifying businesses as groceries or delis, not gas stations or convenience stores.

"I don't think I need to point out the irony there." [00:49:39] (context: Davidson noting Purhartan's own application described the business as a "grocery store beer permit for a gas station")

Purhartan described plans for a locked, walk-in beer cooler accessible to customers only from outside, additional security cameras, a dedicated point-of-sale register for alcohol purchases, and an ID-scanning machine already in use at the store. He testified he has had no tobacco-sale violations or unusual police activity at the location.

"There have been no other disturbances, to my knowledge. He's had no complaints." [00:25:43] — Attorney David Beck, representing Saban Purhartan

Commissioner Bob Canto raised the store's position "at the top of the hill" from ballfields used for youth games, questioning whether that area counted as a park or playground under the ordinance. Davidson later confirmed the adjacent park does include a playground and noted the site's proximity to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail and public river access, areas he said already see litter, including liquor nip bottles.

Public comment: Dave, the owner of Highland Package Store for 14 years, presented petition signatures from neighbors opposed to the application and argued approval would set a precedent for other area gas stations.

"The main problem is none of this has any community. ... I respect the community." [01:11:10]–[01:11:40] — Dave, owner of Highland Package Store

Pete Ramchandani, who owns three other liquor permits in town including Liquor Square and Valley Wines, raised concerns about future compliance on age verification, lottery sales, and third-party delivery apps potentially circumventing in-store controls, and urged the commission to weigh the cumulative effect on the town's existing retailers. Written opposition was also submitted by Terence McMorrow, identified as authorized member-manager of the property at 1426 Farmington Avenue.

The deliberation (commission discussion): Chair-led deliberation after the hearing closed produced a divided commission. Peter Zarella and David St. Germain argued Highland Package Store's own proximity to the high school undercuts objections based on distance, and that the convenience store's limited space would naturally cap how much beer it could stock. Canto and Cordero said they were uncomfortable with the precedent of approving an exception that could invite similar requests from other gas stations in town. Davidson delivered the commission's most detailed objection, tying the outlet-spacing rule to the store's adjacency to the regional trail, river access and ballfield playground.

"This isn't just... I'm not opposed to this because it will hurt your business... I'm concerned because liquor permits are more heavily regulated than other businesses because there are negative externalities to those businesses." [01:29:29] — Josh Davidson, commissioner

Procedural steps and outcome: On a motion to approve the special permit and site plan for a grocery store beer permit for the gas station at 1387 Farmington Avenue, the vote was 2 in favor (St. Germain, Zarella) and 4 opposed (Canto, Cordero, Davidson, Sanford). The motion failed.

Implications and what is next: Purhartan cannot proceed with his state grocery beer permit application without the town certification the commission declined to grant. No further town hearing date was set for this applicant.

Public Hearing: Farmington West Estates Subdivision, Snowberry Lane

Background and stakes: The application sought final approval for the remaining 46 lots of a long-running subdivision, Governor's Pride, Preakness Way, Saratoga Circle, Speedster Way and Derby's Run (phases 6B through 6F), tracing to a Superior Court decree from September 1994 and zoning regulations revised to accommodate it. A 10-lot first phase (6A) was approved by the commission in 2024 and partly built before construction paused.

The question before the body: whether the final phases conform to the subdivision regulations approved under the 1994 decree and whether drainage, open space and conservation commitments made to the Inlands and Wetlands Commission have been met.

Substantive content: Attorney James Iogas told the commission the full 56-lot wetlands impact plan was approved by the Inlands and Wetlands Commission on Dec. 6, 2023, and that required conservation easements have been recorded in the Farmington land records. Engineer Sev Bovino, of Kratzer Jones & Associates, described a 12.88-acre site with lots as small as 5,000 square feet and 50 feet of frontage, two stormwater detention areas, storm scepters for water-quality treatment, decorative stone walls using material cleared from the site, and nine two-story colonial home designs ranging from 2,300 to 2,500 square feet. Engineer Andrew Quirk said the drainage design achieves a "zero increase in peak discharge" through the 100-year storm event and more than 85 percent removal of total suspended solids.

Commissioner Davidson questioned a town staff request, addressed in a Sept. 22, 2026 letter from traffic engineer Hesketh, to connect Governor's Pride to Snowberry Lane's north leg to ease traffic; Iogas said a conservation easement recorded there in October 2024 precludes the connection. Davidson also noted Google Street View imagery showing apparent construction access across that same easement.

"So Google Street View shows that you've, someone has done just that, as of October 2024." [01:58:49] — Josh Davidson, commissioner, referring to apparent construction disturbance within the conservation easement

Commissioner Taylor Pogson and Commissioner Davidson both raised the issue; Iogas and Bovino acknowledged the disturbance might need restoration and that neither had confirmed when it occurred relative to the easement's recording. Commissioner Dave St. Germain and Rob Ingbertson separately questioned two narrow, 18-foot-wide dead-end roads serving three homes each, which the applicant said were approved as "cart paths" under the original 1994 decree and are not required to accommodate turnarounds since they are private roads not used by school buses.

Procedural steps and outcome: On a motion to approve the 46-lot subdivision as presented and discussed, with conditions including signage warning against snow storage or dumping within the conservation easement and a requirement to add a catch-basin maintenance schedule to the plans, the commission voted unanimously in favor.

Implications and what is next: Construction on the remaining 46 lots can resume once final plans incorporate the added conditions. The homeowners association, not the town, will be responsible for maintaining all interior private roads and drainage structures; only the outer loop of Snowberry Lane remains a town road.

Public Hearings: FEMA Flood Map and Text Amendments

Background and stakes: FEMA notified the town that its updated Flood Insurance Study and Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Hartford County become effective Nov. 13, 2026, requiring Farmington to adopt conforming zoning and subdivision text amendments to remain eligible for the National Flood Insurance Program. The town's flood regulations were last revised in 2008 and 2019.

The question before the body: whether to adopt amendments to Article 2, Sections 15, 16 and 17 of the zoning regulations and Sections 1.2, 4.17 and 4.19 of the subdivision regulations incorporating the new FEMA maps and federally required technical standards.

Substantive content: Staff said the new maps carry a roughly 3.5-foot reduction in the FEMA floodway elevation within one zone compared with 2008, largely a datum conversion from NGVD 29 to NAVD 88 (an 0.81-foot difference, rounded to one foot) rather than a hydrologic change. After consulting with state NFIP coordinator Diane Ivkovic of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Land and Water Resources Division, the town chose not to lower its own more conservative "zone one" and "zone two" elevation standards, which were first set locally in 1977, despite FEMA's lower calculated floodway elevation. The amendments also update required freeboard for utilities and electrical equipment to one foot above base flood elevation and add a floodway encroachment certification standard citing ASCE 24 and federal regulation 44 CFR 65.12.

Staff said three flood map panels near the West Hartford line retain their 2008 effective date because FEMA determined no update was needed there, while the rest of town updates to the Nov. 13, 2026 maps. Some areas, including Cottage Street and sections near Key Street, may newly fall into a flood zone and require flood insurance; property owners are not individually notified by the town but typically learn through mortgage lenders or insurers, and may contest the designation through a FEMA letter of map amendment process requiring a licensed surveyor's certification.

Commissioner Rob Ingbertson asked how often FEMA reassesses maps; staff said there is no fixed schedule and some regions go decades between updates.

Procedural steps and outcome: Both the zoning text amendment and the companion subdivision regulation text amendment were moved, seconded and approved unanimously after no public comment was received in person or online.

Implications and what is next: The amendments take effect alongside FEMA's new maps on Nov. 13, 2026. Affected property owners will need flood insurance going forward unless they successfully contest their designation through FEMA's map-amendment process.

Continuance and Remaining New Business

A previously filed zoning text amendment application to add Article 4 ground-mounted solar regulations was continued, on a unanimous vote, to the commission's Oct. 5, 2026 meeting.

Staff briefed the commission, without a vote required, on a digital informational kiosk proposed for New Horizons' interior courtyard, intended for daily activity postings and urgent notices such as bear sightings; staff said the accessory use appeared permittable administratively. Staff also previewed a pending pre-application meeting on Oct. 15 before the Architectural Design Review Committee for a new redevelopment proposal at 19 Perry Street by a company identified as Belfonte, which would replace a previously approved roughly 260-to-270-unit project (first approved in 2015 and extended through COVID-era allowances to 2029, with a possible extension to 2034) with an estimated 220-to-230-unit alternative. No plans have been formally submitted. Staff also said the Plan of Conservation and Development update will get a presentation from consultant Weston and Sampson at the Oct. 5 meeting, proposed to begin at 6 p.m., ahead of the regular 7 p.m. hearing start.

The commission closed the meeting by unanimously approving the minutes of its Sept. 14, 2026 meeting.

WHO WAS THERE

Bob Canto, member, present, voted. Phil Cordero, member, present, voted. Josh Davidson, member, present, voted. David St. Germain, member, present, voted. Liz Sanford, member, present, voted; appears to have presided over the meeting as chair based on meeting flow, though no source explicitly states this title. Peter Zarella, member, present, voted. Lisa Fagan, alternate, present. Rob Ingbertson, alternate, present. Taylor Pogson, alternate, present. Shannon Rutherford, town planning staff (specific title not stated in available sources), conducted roll call, presented sign calculations and FEMA regulatory analysis, answered technical questions throughout. An unnamed staff member referred to only as "Robert" was mentioned regarding timing of the Plan of Conservation and Development consultant presentation. A staff or technical support person referred to only as "Bruce" assisted with screen-sharing near the meeting's end. Pete Zarello, applicant, owner of Relentless Performance, sign applicant at 170 Scott Swamp Road. A presenter identified only as "Steve" (surname unclear in the recording), representing 1599 Southeast Road LLC, with a partner identified only as "Michael" (no surname given). Navina Gulapa, Tracy Tribusio and Shannon Sprawls, applicants for home cottage-food business and farm stand permits; a fourth applicant for a property on an R-30 zoned road was not named in the recording. JBS Developers LLC, applicant for a zone change and 18-unit active-adult development at 598 Plainville Avenue. Saban Purhartan, applicant, owner/operator of GG Mart, 1387 Farmington Avenue. Attorney David Beck (also referred to once in the recording as "Packman"), representing Purhartan. Dave, owner of Highland Package Store, 1426 Farmington Avenue, public commenter in opposition (surname not captured in the recording). Terence McMorrow, authorized member-manager of 1426 Farmington Avenue, submitted written opposition. Pete Ramchandani, public commenter, owner of Liquor Square, Valley Wines and a permit at the former Stadium 15/Marriott site. Attorney James Iogas, representing Farmington West Estates Limited Partnership. Sev Bovino and Andrew Quirk, engineers with Kratzer Jones & Associates, presenting for Farmington West Estates.

ORGANIZATIONS AND DOCUMENTS REFERENCED

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — issued the updated Flood Insurance Study and Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Hartford County, effective Nov. 13, 2026, driving the zoning and subdivision text amendments adopted this meeting. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Land and Water Resources Division (Diane Ivkovic, state NFIP coordinator) — reviewed and confirmed the town's proposed FEMA-compliance text amendments meet federal standards. Town of Newington Planning Department (Eric Hinckley, acting town planner) — separately approved Goldfish Swim School's signage under Newington's zoning for the cross-municipal building at 1599 Southeast Road. Inlands and Wetlands Commission — approved the full 56-lot wetlands impact plan for Farmington West Estates on Dec. 6, 2023, and the 10-lot Phase 6A subdivision on July 8, 2024. Hesketh (traffic engineer) — authored a Sept. 22, 2026 letter addressing the town's request for a Governor's Pride-to-Snowberry Lane road connection, cited by Attorney Iogas as grounds not to build it. Connecticut Superior Court — issued the September 1994 judicial decree establishing the zoning framework for the Farmington West Estates subdivision. Connecticut General Statutes governing liquor permits — cited by Attorney Beck and Commissioner Davidson regarding the 1,500-foot liquor-outlet buffer and the roughly 50 percent grocery-sales threshold for a grocery beer permit. Weston and Sampson — consulting firm retained for the town's Plan of Conservation and Development update, scheduled to present Oct. 5, 2026. Sept. 14, 2026 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting minutes — approved at this meeting.