Planning & Zoning Approves Plan For Former DePaolo Furniture Site
- Peter Prohaska
- Jan 12
- 3 min read
The Southington Planning and Zoning Commission had a busy agenda for its first meeting of 2026. Following the appointment of Republican alternates Zach Foti and Dennis Bougie and Democrats Katrina Caird and David Scott, the Commission moved through the scheduled items.
Former DePaolo Furniture Site Approved For Mixed-Use
After nearly a century in business, DePaolo Furniture closed its doors permanently in 2024. The main building located at 83 Center Street was originally built in 1880, according to Town records, but has been sitting vacant since DePaolo’s closure. A plan by local developer Luke Florian’s Freedom Property to renovate the space gained key approvals at the January 6 meeting.
Project engineer Stephen Giudice, who represented all of the evening’s applicants, walked the Commissioners through a plan for mixed-use renovation along with new construction. Freedom Property intends to add three residential units to the rear portion of the ground level and six units to the second-story. There would also be four new townhouse units on the Liberty Street side, where an existing structure has already been removed from the half-acre lot.
The developer is also seeking a commercial tenant, although Giudice stated that there is not a tenant in place at this time.
The four townhouses would feature patios, driveways and garage parking. Additional parking would come in the form of a parking lot for tenant use only.
Commissioner Robert Britton expressed concern about controlling unauthorized parking, but Giudice felt that “residents will police it better than any of us and keep people out of there if they don’t belong.” He went on to say that people are necessary for a “vibrant downtown,” joking, “When we can’t find a place to park downtown, that’s a good thing.”
Commissioner Caleb Cowles asked for additional clarification on parking and whether the number of spaces would suffice. Assistant Town Planner David Lavallee replied that with the diminished retail presence, the developer had met the requirement “and then some” by including the garage spaces.
As for the building’s external appearance, Giudice said it is Florian’s desire to keep much of the brick facade, while making the three buildings differ in appearance. Images shown during the meeting included a preliminary mock-up of the Center Street façade:
New Manufacturing Buildings
The PZC approved the construction of a new building on the eight-acre lot at 170 Spring Street. The site is home to the Gordon Corporation, a manufacturer of steel basement doors. The company has been in business for over 60 years, according to its website, but was in need of new facilities.
The PZC also gave the go-ahead to another local business, AGA Architectural Millworks, for the construction of two new buildings on its lot at 201 Newell Street. Kris Kolodziejczyk, the company’s president, explained to the PZC that his principal business involves manufacturing high-end wood pieces such as cabinets, desks and other features for clients that include businesses and schools. However, many pieces are of a size that requires more storage capacity. The plan, he said, was to lease the pre-existing buildings to help defray costs for the new ones.
AGA Millworks further asked for an additional subdivision of the property in order to facilitate loading operations, a request that was also granted.
Historical Property Purchase Recommended
Along with those approvals, the PZC made an official recommendation (known as an 8-24 recommendation) that paves the way for the Town to acquire a small piece of property near 821 South End Road with historical significance.
The Curtiss family farmed in Southington for generations before conveying some of their land holdings for conservation and public use. Recent research from Christina Volpe, Director of the Barnes Museum, as well as the Southington Historical Society, led to the discovery that a root cellar on the farm was used as part of the Underground Railroad, which helped enslaved people reach freedom.
Per the recommendation of the Town’s Open Space Committee, the property in question, about one-eighth of an acre in size, would remain in public hands at a cost of $15,000 drawn from the Open Space fund. Committee chair Jennifer Clock listed in a letter some reasons why the PZC should recommend the purchase. These include recognizing Southington’s pro-abolition history; preserving the integrity of the Curtiss Open Space parcel by including the cellar; and protecting against the loss of this historical feature.
The Town Council will consider whether to approve the expenditure at its January 12 meeting, according to the agenda.
The next meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled for January 20.
