Outdoor Sales Lot Variance

At a glance

• What: Request for variances from Sections 1.5.3 D, E and F, 1.5.4 E and F, and 3.3.4 G of the Zoning Regulations to allow an addition for an Outdoor Sales Lot use at 64 Edwards Street in the CX-1 district. Owner/applicant: Daniel Samanez. Open hearing deadline was July 9, 2026. (Not related to 98-104 Edwards Street development agreement.)
• Where it stands: Denied 3-2 on June 2, 2026 (the motion to approve failed).

Detail

Senior Planner Josiah Redding presented the staff report. Agata Samanez, speaking for the owner, said they are not trying to grow the business; they want a structure at the back of the building to park customers' cars and store equipment, to reduce repeated thefts and improve the appearance of the site. They bought the building in 2007.

Chair Phyllis Airey asked how long they had been at the location and said the regulations are clear about what can be done with a legally nonconforming use and structure; she saw no hardship. Commissioner Charles Morrison understood the security need but saw no hardship relating to the property. Commissioner Leonson Stapleton could see the need for the structure and felt the need for safety could be a hardship.

Morrison moved to approve the variance, seconded by Stapleton. Result: the motion failed 3-2 (the minutes record "Denied 3-2"). Yeas: Commissioners William Kemp, Morrison and Stapleton. Noes: Airey and Commissioner Leah Reyes. The minutes do not explain how a 3-2 majority in favor produced a denial; a variance may require a supermajority, but the minutes do not say so. Check with the board's staff.

Sources

• Zoning Board of Appeals minutes, June 2, 2026 (draft minutes): https://hartford.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/160083

Log

2026-06-02 - Zoning Board of Appeals

Public hearing; motion to approve variance recorded as "Denied 3-2".