A warehouse proposed along Day Hill Road in Windsor. (Courtesy of Town of Windsor)

With the commercial office market down, a company is proposing to replace two largely vacant office buildings in Windsor with a 170,000-square-foot warehouse.

The plan would shut down two commercial buildings along Day Hill Road and create the new warehouse on those properties along with an adjacent undeveloped woodland parcel.

If approved, the project would add a new distribution center to the list of enormous storage facilities either operating or planned in town. Amazon, Dollar Tree and Tire Rack have major warehouses in Windsor, and others are approved for construction.

Town planning officials will conduct a hearing Sept. 13 where the public can hear details about the proposal.

A vacant office building at 415 Day Hill Road would be razed as part of Day Hill Road LLC's plan to build a 170,000-square-foot warehouse. (Don Stacom)

Alford Associates Inc. is seeking a special use permit for the new project, which would combine three separate properties along Day Hill Road, the town’s main industrial corridor.

Alford, an engineering and planning firm, is representing developers Day Hill Road LLC. Their plan is to close the 54,000-square-foot office building at 415 Day Hill Road along with the 25,000-square-foot office building next door at 425 Day Hill Road. Between them, those properties make up about 14 acres.

The plan includes taking those buildings down as well as clearing part of the 7-acre undeveloped tract at 505 Day Hill Road, which is just to the west. That would provide a total of 21 acres for the project.

Christian Alford, director of Alford Associates, and Salvatore Campofranco, manager of Day Hill Road LLC, told the town that the warehouse would represent the top use for the property.

A rendering shows the plan for a 170,000-square-foot warehouse along Day Hill Road in Windsor. (Courtesy of Town of Windsor)

“The special use (permit) will permit the construction of an industrial building to replace the existing office buildings (which have) little prospect of being leased,” they wrote.

Day Hill Road LLC hasn’t publicly identified tenants for the warehouse, but is proposing to divide it into four sections averaging a little more than 42,000 square feet each. It is seeking zoning waivers to allow 14 loading docks and 28 trailer storage spaces.

The two office buildings that would be taken down were built around 2001, according to town records. The Real Group II LLC sold both properties to Day Hill Road LLC for about $1.2 million earlier this year. Town land records show The Real Group LLC retains title to 505 Day Hill Road.

A truck passes the woods near 505 Day Hill Road in Windsor, part of the site for a proposed 170,000-squear-foot warehouse. (Don Stacom)

In an initial response to the company’s applications and accompanying maps, town staffers suggested a reduction in outside lighting.

“We’ve witnessed a phenomenon where flush LED fixtures have cast a glare well beyond the photometric footprint,” according to the town staffer’s letter.

In three parts of the parking lot, the lighting level is more than double what’s recommended, they wrote. The town is recommending removing a few fixtures from the construction plans in those areas.

Alford will present the plan at the planning and zoning commission’s Sept. 13 hearing at 7 p.m. Interested residents can get details for submitting comments ahead of time and for attending virtually at tinyurl.com/p9bjcvrr.