Cromwell planners authorize legal action after yearlong landscaping, blight complaints at AutoZone
June 03, 2026 | Cromwell, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut
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The Cromwell Planning and Zoning Commission voted June 2 to authorize town zoning enforcement officer Bruce Drisco to pursue legal remedies against the owners of the AutoZone property at 48 Berlin Road after repeated landscaping violations and blight complaints.
Drisco told the commission a cease‑and‑desist had been issued nearly a year earlier after irrigation tied to the approved site plan failed to operate, leaving large gaps where plantings died, mulch beds unrefreshed and weeds established. He said the town has issued blight citations and, as of the previous day, AutoZone had begun accruing $150‑per‑day fines for tall grass; Drisco added none of the fines had yet been collected. He also said the town is holding a contractor performance bond “in excess of about $9,600” that was posted by the contractor who built the site, not by AutoZone itself.
Commissioners discussed options including using the bond to complete required landscaping, seeking injunctive relief to compel compliance, pursuing fines and recovery of attorney fees, and — if advised by counsel — considering revocation of approvals tied to the site plan. Chair Alice Kelly and staff agreed the primary goal is compliance and remediation rather than revenue.
After consulting the town planner’s recommendation and asking the town attorney to advise on enforceability of fines and appropriate remedies, the commission moved to authorize Drisco to pursue legal remedies; the motion passed on a recorded verbal ‘all in favor.’ The commission did not announce a timetable for further action.
The committee also noted seasonal tall‑grass enforcement is ongoing at several other locations in town and that staff will continue to coordinate with the town attorney and property owners to seek compliance.
What happens next: staff said they will consult the town attorney on the range of remedies available, whether the existing $150‑per‑day citation remains enforceable in court, and whether bond recovery or injunctive relief is the best path to force site‑plan compliance.
Drisco told the commission a cease‑and‑desist had been issued nearly a year earlier after irrigation tied to the approved site plan failed to operate, leaving large gaps where plantings died, mulch beds unrefreshed and weeds established. He said the town has issued blight citations and, as of the previous day, AutoZone had begun accruing $150‑per‑day fines for tall grass; Drisco added none of the fines had yet been collected. He also said the town is holding a contractor performance bond “in excess of about $9,600” that was posted by the contractor who built the site, not by AutoZone itself.
Commissioners discussed options including using the bond to complete required landscaping, seeking injunctive relief to compel compliance, pursuing fines and recovery of attorney fees, and — if advised by counsel — considering revocation of approvals tied to the site plan. Chair Alice Kelly and staff agreed the primary goal is compliance and remediation rather than revenue.
After consulting the town planner’s recommendation and asking the town attorney to advise on enforceability of fines and appropriate remedies, the commission moved to authorize Drisco to pursue legal remedies; the motion passed on a recorded verbal ‘all in favor.’ The commission did not announce a timetable for further action.
The committee also noted seasonal tall‑grass enforcement is ongoing at several other locations in town and that staff will continue to coordinate with the town attorney and property owners to seek compliance.
What happens next: staff said they will consult the town attorney on the range of remedies available, whether the existing $150‑per‑day citation remains enforceable in court, and whether bond recovery or injunctive relief is the best path to force site‑plan compliance.
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