Final housing development plan proposed for the last farm in northern Glastonbury: Plan includes 48 duplexes and 61 townhouses
By Peter Marteka
Editor
The last days of the Gutt Family Farm are approaching as a developer has presented its final housing proposal for the 39 acres of farmland in the northern part of town. The latest plan includes 157 units – 48 three-bedroom duplexes and 61 three-bedroom townhouses.
“We have put in a lot of effort and a lot of work into developing a plan that we think is great for this site,” said J-RAC Development LLC attorney Andrea Gomes. Gomes said there have been 22 land use meetings over the past few years.
“We’ve done our best to listen to the town and in particular the local neighbors and the neighborhood and have incorporated a number of those,” she said of the suggestions from the town boards and neighbors.
In what has been called “a final development plan,” J-RAC is proposing to build the 157 units with 32 of them – or 20 percent – deemed affordable. The access to the development would be off Eastern Boulevard where community amenities like a clubhouse and pool would be located. Another entrance off Mill Street would be for emergency access.
Jack Kemper of Kemper Associates Architects LLC noted the development won’t be a cookie cutter one. The townhouses and duplexes will have seven different configurations.
“We are really trying to manipulate the roof lines, dormers, siding and everything to give these buildings interest...we are basically trying to design all the way around these. You see these buildings from many different angles, so we thought about all the different elevations.”
Developers also offered to donate to the town the farm fields along Addison Road, the historic family home and the red barn. The town council during its Sept. 8 meeting took a non-binding vote and only offered to accept ownership of the fields.
“I see no reason for the town to accept the house that we think is going to cost hundreds, if not millions of dollars to maintain,” Councilman Whit Osgood said. The town council did offer to accept an easement over the house and barn ensuring the preservation of the structures.
J-RAC originally proposed a 128-unit development in November 2024 including 64 three-bedroom duplexes with 18 affordable units along with an access off Addison Road. In May 2025 they returned with a 141-unit proposal including 55 three-bedroom duplexes and 31 three-bedroom townhouses along with 20 affordable units with access off Eastern Boulevard.
In June 2025, the developer returned with a proposal to build 157 units – 50 three-bedroom duplexes and 57 three-bedroom townhouses along with 32 affordable units. The proposal included the outright donation of three acres around the house and barn.
“The viewshed is important to the neighborhood,” J-RAC attorney Meghan Hope said. “It’s been a fabric of this section of town and for the whole town for going on now three generations. As a third-generation farmer, there’s no one next in his family who wants to continue the operation.
“It is very important that farmers are able to retire when they want to retire,” she added. “Often when you work a typical job you have a 401k or an IRA. And farmers have their land. That’s really what they’ve invested all their time and money in over multiple generations.”
J-RAC offered three options when it came to that viewshed – outright donation, preservation easement, partial donation and partial preservation easement. Historical Society of Glastonbury president Barbara Theurkauf said ideally the house and many of the barns as possible should be preserved.
“But we also came to the conclusion that the historical society is not currently in the position to take the level of risk and financial commitment and effort this property would require,” Theurkauf said summarizing a meeting with the rest of the society board.
Theurkauf noted a capital campaign would have to raise $1.6-$2 million to cover potential upgrades and renovations to the house and barn.
“I love the property and its potential,” she said. “The board of the historical society would love to see this house preserved and restored to something useable...We would love to see that big red barn – it's gorgeous – but it’s a project. There are fewer and fewer big red barns in the state.”
Rob Smith, a neighbor and member of the Addison Road Coalition, has urged the town to save the house and barn.
“How often are we offered a 1760 farmhouse and a big red barn like that for free, right up front and no charge? So, this farmhouse is older than the Silas Deane House in Wethersfield. It’s older than the Old Statehouse in Hartford. It’s older than the United States of America. We should do our best to exhaust our options to honor this history and the property and do something great with it,” he said.
“This preservation is an exciting example of how the history of our town can be recognized and cherished in parallel with development that meets current demands and positions Glastonbury for the future,” added resident Felecia Scott.
William Marut supported the proposal noting it's a “worthwhile opportunity to add housing in Glastonbury, particularly because it includes 32 units that will remain affordable in perpetuity for households earning 80 percent or less of area median income.”
“Those units can provide an important option for people who want to live in Glastonbury but may not be able to afford the cost of a conventional home here,” he said.
He also supported preserving much of the parcel’s historic view.
“Preserving that part of the property and its viewshed seems like a thoughtful way to retain some of the character of the existing farm while allowing the property to accommodate new housing,” he said.
Other residents wanted to see the whole farm preserved. Melissa Passarello asked the town council to “reject or substantially reduce the development.”
“This is not opposition to housing; it is concern about the scale, density, traffic, loss of historic character and strain on town services,” she said. “Gutt Farm is part of Glastonbury’s agricultural identity. The historic farmhouse, barns, flower fields and Addison Road frontage deserve meaningful preservation — not simply isolated structures surrounded by dense development.
“Once this farm landscape is developed, it cannot be restored. Please protect Glastonbury’s historic character, safety and quality of life and reject the current 157-unit plan,” she added.
Resident Denise Weeks said the project will add needed housing to town.
“The 32 affordable units provide housing opportunities to the many people who staff the medical offices in that area, as well as seniors looking to downsize,” she said. “The plan is a testament to what can be accomplished when town government, developers and neighborhood groups work together to meet our housing needs. I urge you to approve this project.” GL