As Year Ends Branford Tackles A Dozen Development Projects

Development is booming in Branford. Over the past year, commissions and boards have been active with a dozen major commercial, residential and industrial projects evolving from one end of town to the other. Public reaction to the potentially transformative projects has varied — several proposals have elicited support while others have sparked controversy.

Some residents say development will stimulate the economy and bring new tax dollars; but others fear a possible impact on Branford’s infrastructure, traffic and the environment. Two town projects, one centered on an intermediate school and the other a combined senior center-Community House expansion, could potentially cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.

Six projects have been approved and some are already under construction or completed. Six others are working their way through the town’s regulatory boards. While construction or public hearings have occurred during the past year, the planning for several projects has spanned at least two different administrations and three town planners.

So Many Plans

The largest project is the proposed Costco complex at Exit 56 which includes the warehouse store and seven additional commercial buildings on 44 acres. The next largest proposal is the Atlantic Wharf project on Meadow Street which includes 10 buildings housing 205 upscale apartments and several commercial units on the 7.5- acre Atlantic Wire property in the heart of town.

Two projects are under construction along Route 1 near Exit 56 and the proposed Costco site. One is an Alzheimer’s care facility, and the other is an Army Reserve Training Center.

In the town center, the Stony Creek Brewery on Indian Neck Avenue had its grand opening last spring, and nearby the state is nearing completion of the long-awaited expansion of the Shoreline East Train Station. The new opening date is scheduled for spring. 

Two additional residential projects have been proposed and one has been approved. Developer Alex Vigliotti received approval to build 13 homes on an 18-acre site on Brushy Plain Road. A second Vigliotti proposal is still seeking approval — a plan to create a 115-unit apartment complex on about 5 acres on Summit Place in the Branford Hills Section of town that would include 20 percent affordable housing units. Another developer is proposing to build about a dozen condo units on a 3.45 acre lot at the Sterling Ridge site on Cherry Hill Road, near the historic Harrison House.

The Bausch & Stroebel Machine Co. Inc. will build a new manufacturing facility along 139 in Branford. The company designs and builds packaging and production systems for the pharmaceutical industry.

In addition to projects proposed by private developers and corporations, the town is planning to renovate the Community House on Church Street and add a new senior center; and the town is also hoping to renovate the Walsh Intermediate School. One project missing from the mix is a new building for the public works department, which is still working out of a rental facility.

Costco’s Master Plan

Costco’s Planned Development District (PDD) and Master Plan were approved by the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission July 9 by a 3-2 vote after several public hearings that elicited both pro and con reactions from residents. One opposition group has received intervenor status. 

The developers are currently seeking approval from the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) and a public hearing will begin Jan. 14.  If the IWC approves the project, the detailed site plans for Costco and the other seven commercial buildings must then be submitted to P&Z.

The 44-acre Master Plan at Exit 56 includes the following undeveloped properties: Wayne Cooke and the Cooke family corporations own a 22.36-acre site at 573 E. Main St. where Costco plans to build; Charles E. Weber Jr. and Al Secondino, and their 595 Corporate Circle corporation, own a 16.56-acre parcel at 569 E. Main St. where six buildings are proposed; and trustee Peter G. Mandragouras, owns a 1.73 acre site, where one building is proposed.

Two Route 1 Projects Underway

Construction is already underway at two projects near the Exit 56 site where Costco hopes to build.

A 64-bed memory care facility (pictured)for Alzheimer’s patients is being built at 814 East Main St. The project was unanimously approved by P&Z in January.  Click here to read about that.  The one-story building will be owned and operated by Artis Senior Living, based in Virginia. The 3-acre property was previously owned by Donald Hayden, who once operated a factory there.

On the opposite side of Route 1, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is nearly finished with construction of an Army Reserve Training Center at 777 East Main St. The 36,887 square-foot training center will serve about 300 reservists, mostly on weekends, and include about five full-time employees. Click here to read the most recent story.

The building is slated to include administrative offices, a library, learning center, weapons simulator and physical fitness areas. There will also be a separate maintenance shop and an unheated storage building.

The Army purchased 15 acres of the former 86-acre Bittersweet Farm property for $3.7 million in March 2014. The property was sold by Bittersweet Partners LLC, a partnership between Al Secondino and Michael Belfonti, who retain ownership of the remaining 71 acres.

Atlantic Wharf’s Upscale Plans

Robert H. Smith Jr., CEO and founder of the Milford-based Metro Star Properties LLC, hopes to transform 7.5 acres along Meadow Street into an upscale residential and commercial complex.  The P&Z began a public hearing for the detailed site plans on Dec. 4, and will continue on Jan. 7. Click here to read about the recent hearing. . 

The PDD and Master Plans were approved in February. The proposed complex along the Branford River in the heart of town would include 10 buildings — six that will be residential and commercial; and four that will be only residential. Plans call for 205 upscale apartments that will be targeted to millennials — young professionals in their early 30s. 

The developers will tear down the dilapidated Atlantic Wire factory, and will realign the tortuous intersection of Meadow and Montowese streets and Pine Orchard Road.

Stony Creek Brewery Brews Up a Success

The Stony Creek Brewery, owned by Ed Crowley and family, celebrated its opening in April as hundreds of people gathered at the two-story facility along Indian Neck Avenue. The brewery features tours, a tasting room, celebration room and two decks that overlook the Branford River.

Groundbreaking occurred in the summer of 2014. The brewery has been so successful it recently made plans to add more parking spaces and another food truck. Crowley estimated that more than 205,000 people visited the brewery between March and November.

Shoreline East Station Expands

A boost to train commuters is nearing completion just down the road from the Stony Creek Brewery and not far from the proposed Atlantic Wharf project.

The cost of the Branford train project, which started on May 1, 2013, is around $10M. The expansion provides a North bound platform, which when completed will double the number of trains available in Branford – and it’s a free lot. The lot was expanded about five years ago and that will fill up quickly once both sides of the station are operational. A new parking area across the road from the station is now under construction. The delay in opening is due to elevator issues. Two new towers were built to house the elevators so that passengers may use either the northbound or southbound platforms.

New Industry

A new industry with 50 employees is coming to Branford, after being approved by P&Z in September. The Bausch & Stroebel Machine Co. Inc., based in Germany, will close its manufacturing facility in North Branford and build a new one at 10 Thompson Road at the corner of Route 139. The company designs and builds packaging and production systems for the pharmaceutical industry. Click here to read the story.

Three More Residential Projects

In addition to Atlantic Wharf, there are three additional residential projects.

The P&Z Commission is deliberating a proposal by Vigliotti, the developer, to create a 115-unit apartment complex on about 5 acres on Summit Place in the Branford Hills section of town. Plans call for converting two office buildings into 34 apartment units; and for constructing two additional buildings that would house 81 apartments.

Vigliotti is seeking a zoning map amendment under the new Incentive Housing Overlay District (IHOD) regulations that require at least 20 percent of the units to be affordable for moderate income households earning 80 percent or less than the median income for Branford.

A public hearing on Summit Place was held in November, and several neighbors expressed concern about the project. Deliberations are expected to continue in January.

Meanwhile, in another area of Branford, Vigliotti received approval to create an open space residential subdivision on 18 acres of property at 271 Brushy Plain Road.  Thirteen homes will be built, and 6.3 acres will be donated to the Branford Land Trust for use as open space.

The third proposal is a reincarnation of a plan that was approved by the P&Z in 2007. The Sterling Ridge property is a 3.45 acre lot at 26 Cherry Hill Road located between Route 1 and Main Street. It is part of the Canoe Brook Historic District which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sterling Ridge has seen several different development plans and considerable controversy over the past 12 years. Public hearings were held this year for a request by developer Alan Genn of Greenwich to revise the 2007 plans and build 12 condos. The developer later withdrew the request for the revised plans and then asked for a permit to build the original 2007 condo plan. A neighbor filed an appeal, claiming that the original plan expired. A legal examination by the town is incomplete. Click here to read about the appeal. 

A hearing before the Zoning Board of Appeals has been postponed twice while settlement talks are underway. The hearing is now scheduled for January.

Branford’s Big Plans for Seniors and Students

Branford is facing two major building projects that could potentially cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.

The Board of Education (BOE) voted this month to recommend major renovations to Walsh Intermediate School. The board chose a ​“hybrid option” that would include a new two-story academic wing and retain the gym and pool areas.

Costs are estimated at $88.2 million, which would be about $55 million after state re-imbursement. Click here to read the recent story. 

There are no cost estimates yet for plans to remodel and expand the Community House on Church Street to include a senior center. The Recreation Department and programs would use the first floor, and the seniors would use the expanded second floor. The Community House is about one block away from the proposed Atlantic Wharf project.

Consultants have made numerous presentations of the conceptual plans to various boards and senior groups. Click here to read about a recent presentation.

Plans will eventually have to go before the town’s regulatory boards and commissions, and costs must be approved by the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) and the Board of Finance. Talks about replacing the Canoe Brook Senior Center have been ongoing for years, but no plans ever came to fruition.

In December, the town acquired the 46-acre Foote Memorial Park, owned by the Foote Charitable Trust and administered by a Trustee for the Bank of America, N.A.  The park will be operated by the town’s recreation department, and the town plans to apply to the Trustee for funding.  Plans are underway to repair the facilities and expand the park’s offerings. Town approval came after the Democrats on the RTM demanded and received assurances from the town attorney that the park would remain a park. Click here to read about it.

January Outlook

The Costco public hearing before the IWC is scheduled to begin Jan. 14; the Atlantic Wharf public hearing at P&Z continues Jan. 7; and decisions may be made as early as January on the Summit Place and Sterling Ridge proposals. Steps are expected to be taken throughout the year on the town’s proposals for the Community House and for Walsh.

###