P&Z adopts new short-term rental rules

Planning and Zoning · Meeting of May 28, 2026

Brookfield's Planning and Zoning Commission voted to adopt new short-term rental zoning rules, allowing owner-occupied condos and townhouses alongside single-family homes. Chair Kurt Timberman said the only exclusion is deed-restricted affordable housing, "because that doesn't make any sense to make money on something like that." The board also voted unanimously to recommend the Board of Selectmen release a roughly $62,981.50 bond for the completed Extra Space Storage project on Grassy Ridge Road, and approved a 300-cubic-yard fill application at 91 Optus Road South presented by applicant Heather Johnson. Engineer James Deo continued a 67 Delmare Drive floodplain and site plan application to June 11 pending state flood-storage sign-off, telling the board his design provides "significantly more storm water storage than what would be required." Members also began reviewing state Public Act 25-1's middle-housing and parking mandates, which take effect July 1, and noted the town's affordable housing moratorium expires June 6.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,036 words

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

The Full Article

BROOKFIELD — May 28, 2026 — The Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to adopt a text amendment regulating short-term rentals, closing a public hearing that had stretched across two prior sessions and settling a debate over whether condominiums and townhouses should be treated the same as single-family homes.

The commission, chaired by Kurt Timberman, also voted to recommend that the Board of Selectmen release a roughly $62,981.50 bond tied to a completed storage facility project, continued two open applications to its June 11 meeting, and approved a fill-regrading application on Optus Road South. Members spent much of the session's second half reviewing state Public Act 25-1, the housing law that takes effect July 1 and will force changes to the town's zoning regulations on summary review, middle housing and parking.

The Full Story

The commission's deliberation on application Z-26-14, a town-initiated amendment to short-term rental regulations, centered on whether to limit the rentals to single-family houses or extend them to owner-occupied condominiums and townhouses. Members, including Vice Chair Scott Dale and regular member Mark Loart, concluded that existing language already restricted rentals to the property owner, so no additional restriction on housing type was necessary. The only carve-out the board kept was a prohibition on using deed-restricted affordable housing units for short-term rentals.

"The only thing disallowed is deed restricted affordable housing, because that doesn't make any sense to make money on something like that." — Chair Kurt Timberman

Loart made the motion to approve the amendment, Dale seconded, and the commission approved it unanimously, citing consistency with the 2025 Plan of Conservation and Development and zoning regulation section 3.19.

The board also took up a bond release request for 23 Grassy Ridge Road, the Extra Space Storage facility approved under application Z-22-28 in 2022. Timberman said the bond release form was signed May 19, 2026, and that all construction and landscaping had been completed. The commission voted unanimously to recommend the roughly $62,981.50 release to the Board of Selectmen.

Engineer James Deo of Deo Engineering, representing 67 Delmar Drive Development LLC, presented a site plan modification and floodplain development application, Z-26-39, for a 25-foot rear addition and new outdoor storage bins at 67 Delmare Drive. Deo told the commission the project would pull previously placed gravel fill back from wetlands and restore flood storage to historic levels, while providing stormwater capacity well beyond regulatory minimums.

"At six inches we're, from an engineering standpoint, net zero. So we have significantly more storm water storage than what would be required." — James Deo, engineer, Deo Engineering

The commission opted to continue the application to June 11 rather than approve it with stipulations, pending a response from the state's National Flood Insurance Program coordinator on the compensatory flood storage analysis. Timberman said he would work with land use staff member Laura to draft stipulation language in case the state does not respond in time.

A car wash application for 10 and 18 Federal Road, Z-26-27, also remains open; the commission continued it to June 11 because the town fire marshal had not yet submitted required comments. A separate application for 7 Cove Road was tabled because no applicant appeared.

Applicant Heather Johnson, representing the property owner, won unanimous approval for a fill application at 91 Optus Road South, Z-26-45, to bring in roughly 300 cubic yards of clean fill to regrade a steep slope near a wetland buffer from a one-to-one slope to a gentler grade.

In discussion items, the commission weighed how its regulations would treat data centers, a topic raised by Jeff Huntton over concerns about land, electricity and noise impacts.

"They tend to be large users of land and also electricity, and they tend to be a noise and water nuisance." — Chair Kurt Timberman

Timberman said current zoning references "data facilities" only under a commercial-use subsection and that any proposal would require either a site plan or special permit depending on the zone, but the term is not defined and not addressed in the town's Plan of Conservation and Development. Commissioners discussed whether a future size threshold or definition should route large facilities through a special permit process, giving the board more discretion over resource impacts.

Much of the latter portion of the meeting was devoted to reviewing Public Act 25-1, the state's new housing law. Timberman walked members through proposed local amendments covering summary review of site plans, "middle housing" of two to nine units, and new parking standards that bar minimum parking requirements for buildings under 16 units outside designated traffic mitigation zones. No vote was taken; members agreed to continue reviewing the draft language before scheduling a public hearing, acknowledging the town will likely miss the law's technical deadline but can rely on the state regulations taking effect July 1. Timberman also noted the town's affordable housing moratorium expires June 6, 2026.

Why It Matters

The short-term rental amendment affects any Brookfield homeowner, including those in condominiums and townhouses in residential zones, who wants to rent out a property short-term; the only properties excluded are deed-restricted affordable housing units. The pending Public Act 25-1 amendments will reshape how multi-family and "middle housing" projects of two to nine units move through town review, and the parking rule change could affect financing and design for smaller developments townwide. The affordable housing moratorium's June 6 expiration is also live: commissioners are watching whether the new state law changes the math behind renewing it.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approve May 14, 2026 meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve short-term rental zoning text amendment, application Z-26-14 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Recommend bond release for 23 Grassy Ridge Road storage facility, application Z-22-28 Tally: Approved unanimously - Action: Car wash site plan application, 10 and 18 Federal Road, Z-26-27 — Continued to June 11, 2026 - Action: Site plan modification and floodplain application, 67 Delmare Drive, Z-26-39 — Continued to June 11, 2026 - Vote: Approve fill-regrading application, 91 Optus Road South, Z-26-45 Tally: Approved unanimously - Action: Application for 7 Cove Road — Tabled, no new date announced; applicant did not appear

Source

BrookfieldCT: Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, May 28, 2026