Cornwall approves plan to rebuild burned down lumber yard

CORNWALL — Nearly 10 years after the lumber yard burned down in Cornwall Bridge, Northeast Building Supply has received approval to rebuild.

Jan Cohen, owner of NBS, and Rob Hiltbrand of R.R. Hiltbrand Engineer & Surveying presented building plans to the Planning and Zoning Commission Dec. 10.

“The fire almost put us out of business,” said Cohen, noting he spent more than $1 million in legal fees fighting the insurance company. “We’ve come a long way to get to this point. We’ve been operating in trailers now since 2015.”

The plans include rebuilding and reconfiguring the existing facility with new parking design and stormwater management systems. The new building will have a sprinkler system.

Hiltbrand stated there will be increased parking, but the impervious footprint on the property will be reduced compared to the existing design. By reworking the layout, he said, a natural buffer will be situated between the facility and the nearby wetlands.

The facility located at 44 Kent Rd., which was destroyed by fire in January of 2015, serves contractors throughout the region. The proposed building will house the hardware store that is currently located up the street at 26 Kent Rd.

At present most of NBS’s orders are shipped via trucks, but Cohen is hopeful that a new showroom will bring more people in.

“The new building will have a new area for displays and kitchen cabinets,” Cohen said. “It will be a great, great facility for the building industry.”

Prior to the P&Z meeting, Cornwall Inland Wetlands and Water Courses Agency reviewed and approved the plans at its Dec. 3 meeting. Hiltbrand noted that Torrington Area Health District has also signed off on the proposal and septic system.

Hiltbrand said the project will be built in phases and the business will remain open during construction.

Work will begin with the office area, the parking lot and the septic field, Hiltbrand said. “Once the building up front is completed and that’s all done then we’ll work our way into the storage building in the back.”

Land use consultant Janell Mullen noted that despite increased parking compared to the old design, the proposal is still 14 spaces shy of the minimum parking requirements per zoning regulations.

“The current plans are less non-conforming than the previous plans were and that’s something that’s important to us as a commission,” said P&Z Chair Anna Timmel.

Following review and discussion, Timmel moved to approve the application pending submission of average roof height calculations and impervious surface totals. The motion passed unanimously.

“You’ve done great work,” said Timmel.