Frequently Asked Questions

Property owners and tenants owning or leasing property in a commercial business district are eligible.

Applicants may not owe any taxes to the town, either for the building to be rehabilitated or for any other piece of real or personal property that they own.

Eligible work results in aesthetic and visual improvements to the exterior of commercial property that is visible from the highway, such as:

• Façade improvements
• Painting
• Masonry repair
• Signage
• Lighting
• Landscaping
• Parking lot improvements
• Other improvements to the exterior of a commercial property

Amortized loans are being offered at a 0% interest rate up to a maximum of $50,000 over a 5 year timeframe.

The loans will be amortized/reduced at a predetermined rate each year and forgiven entirely after 5 years. The town will collect on the entire loan amount if the owner sells, conveys or transfers the property or the business within the first three years after the loan has closed. The loans do not have to be repaid if the business stays in town for the period of the loan terms or if the property is not sold during the loan term.

Applications will be reviewed by the Economic Development and Improvement Commission Loan Committee. Improvements will be reviewed by the Design Review Advisory Committee in order to insure compliance with applicable design guidelines.

Once approval is received from the Design Review Advisory Committee, the Loan Committee will refer all requests to the Economic Development and Improvement Commission (EDIC) within two weeks of application submission. A loan closing will be scheduled as soon as is possible after the work is completed as this is a reimbursement program.

Yes, the town loan will cover up to 50% of the construction costs and the property owner is expected to provide a match of 50%. Acceptable collateral must be provided to secure the loan amount.

At least 3 written estimates must be received on all projects funded with this program.

This program has been established as a reimbursement program. Loan closings will be scheduled for a date shortly after the project has been completed and evidence of the project costs has been provide to town staff.

Contact the town's Economic Development Director, Gioia Zack, to set up an appointment to discuss your project and to pick up the necessary paperwork.

The Town of Wethersfield, through the Police Department and Emergency Management Division, brings the Special Needs Registry. The Registry enables citizens / frequent visitors to town, a means to inform first responders (police, fire, medical) of their special needs. By different methods, the town's public safety dispatching system can provide responders with the registrant's submitted information triggered by: a dispatched call to the address flagged by registry information, based on a registered person's name, based on a registered person's description, as well as having a call list feature to check the welfare of persons when under a protracted emergency event, such as a major storm with power loss.

Anyone who meets the criteria specified on the application form, and who wishes to provide information may register. The registry is completely voluntary and is designed to serve those with special needs. The purpose of the registry is to ensure that our community members with special needs have needs that are met, and with compassion and dignity in the process.

Questions may be directed to:

Lt. Thomas Mitney
Email Thomas Mitney
860-721-2914

Disp. Karen Tomczyk
Email Karen Tomczyk
860-721-2900

The registry is a conglomeration of filling voids in matters of police response, checking on and ensuring citizen welfare, as well as taking a proactive means to ensure proper handling of issues and people when special circumstances exist. The registry first started to take shape when Patti Silva, a town resident and tireless advocate of those with special needs, brought concerns forward to Hal Even (Board of Education security) and Karen Tomczyk (police dispatcher / Asst. Emergency Management Director). Soon, it was realized that there were several different categories of people and situations where the public safety response to incidents involving people with special needs could be improved. From there, the effort expanded to enlist the services of Kathy Bagley (Parks and Rec.), Police Chief Cetran, Fire Chief Bailey, Mayor Paul Montinieri, Deputy Mayor Steven Barry, Councilman Tony Martino, and Town Manager Jeff Bridges to get the registry to fruition.

View the Special Needs Registry Application Form (PDF).

The Historic District Commission (HDC) is an eight-member commission of volunteers — consisting of 5 regular members and 3 alternate members — appointed by the Town Council. The Historic District works to promote the educational, cultural, economic and general welfare of the town through the preservation and protection of historic buildings and places of interest. It also seeks to preserve and protect Old Wethersfield's various distinct architectural styles.

The commission's most important function is to review applications for new construction, building additions, modifications and demolitions and to issue a "Certificate of Appropriateness" (COA) for such work.

If your property is located north of the Wethersfield/Rocky Hill town line, south of the Wethersfield/Hartford town line, east of the railroad tracks and west of 1-91, (with a depth of 200 feet on the east side of Middletown Avenue, south of Maple Street) you are in the Historic District.

Any physical alterations to the exterior of a structure, construction of a new structure or demolition of an existing structure that is visible from a public way (street or sidewalk) require a "Certificate of Appropriateness" from the Historic District Commission.

Replacement of windows or doors, siding, building additions, decks, garages, fences and out buildings such as tool sheds, requires a "COA" from the HDC.

• Ordinary maintenance or repair that does not involve a change of existing design, exterior materials or scale, or outward appearance.
• Installation of storm windows or storm doors, with or without screens, painted or unpainted as long as they do not have any ornamental grilles, monograms, etc.
• Any accessory building designed for small animals, as long as the maximum horizontal or vertical dimensions do not exceed four feet.
• Installation of wood roof shingles on structures built prior to 1840.
• Installation of roof shingles in conformity with color samples on file with the Building Department of the Town of Wethersfield.

The Historic District Commission strongly encourages property owners to discuss their plans with the Historic District Coordinator before submitting an application. Applicants may also ask to informally discuss their ideas at the conclusion of the Historic District Commission's regular meetings.

• The Historic District Commission meets twice a month on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month (except in December). Applications need to be submitted by deadline dates posted in the Building Department. Please contact the Historic District Coordinator or Department Secretary to receive current deadline dates.
• You may obtain an application from the Building Department or download it from the department's Permits and Forms page.
• The necessary information to be submitted depends on the nature of the application and may include the following: a plot plan, architectural drawings, samples of materials such as siding and manufacturer's cut sheets for windows, doors, fences, etc.
• After your completed application form and any of the necessary information has been submitted and reviewed by town staff, it will be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.
• The application will be advertised as a public notice in the Rare Reminder. The abutting property owners in your neighborhood will be notified by mail of your application.
• The commission meeting contains two parts, a public hearing and a public meeting.
• During the public hearing, you will have the opportunity to present your proposal. Members of the public are allowed to speak in favor or in opposition to your application. During the public meeting, Commission members will discuss your proposal and vote on it.

From start to finish the process generally takes from two weeks to two months depending on the complexity of the application. Occasionally, the commission may make a site visit. Please note a "Certificate of Appropriateness" is valid for only one year.

You will need to have your "Certificate of Appropriateness" amended. The Building Department will assist you in this process. Depending on the nature of the change, your request may or may not require an additional meeting with the commission.

Please call the Building Department at 860-721-2846 for information and an explanation of the decision. You are encouraged to attend a Historic District Commission regular meeting to informally discuss your questions and concerns with the commission.