With Permission
Imagine living, working and playing in a new neighborhood in the heart of Branford where a dilapidated factory now stands.
That day could become a reality after site plans arrived this week that would transform the former Atlantic Wire factory site on Meadow Street into upscale apartments, retail and restaurants. During its meeting Thursday night, the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Canoe Brook Senior Center.
With Permission
Robert H. Smith Jr., CEO and founder of the Milford-based Metro Star Properties LLC, hopes to develop the 7.5 acres along the Branford River into a residential and commercial neighborhood known as Atlantic Wharf. Overall there would be 205 apartments. The site is located along the Branford River, within walking distance of the Town Center and the Shoreline East Train Station. From start to finish the project may take three years to complete.
P&Z approved the Planned Development District (PDD) and Master Plans in February. Click here to read that story.
The P&Z commission will now study the detailed site plans and the coastal site plans. The project is not in an area of inland wetlands so it does not have to have go before that commission. However, its riverside location places it in a coastal resource area which is overseen by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). Sections of Meadow Street are prone to flooding.
The developers must also appear before the Town Center RevitalizationReview Board (TCRRB) which makes recommendations on projects in the Town Center Village District. The developers have made informal presentations to the TCRRB over the past few months.
The complex will include 10 buildings—including six that will house apartments and commercial units; and four that will be strictly residential. Plans call for 205 apartments, featuring 30 studio units; 125 one-bedroom units; and 50 two-bedroom units. The apartments will be targeted to millennials—young professionals in their early 30s who are looking for upscale apartments in a walkable community.
The developers will realign the convoluted intersection of Meadow, Montowese streets and Pine Orchard Road, which has been a goal of town officials for a number of years.
File Photo
As part of the project, the developers will tear down the sprawling factory buildings and remediate the remaining industrial pollution.
The proposal also calls for a walking and biking trail along the perimeter of the site which will connect to future expansions of the Shoreline Greenway Trail.
Three Stages, Three Years
Plans submitted this week say the project could be constructed in three stages and take an estimated three years to complete.
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The first stage is slated to include construction of Building A on property at 256 Meadow St., which is across from the factory site.
The second stage includes demolition of the Atlantic Wire buildings and environmental remediation. This stage also includes construction of a building deck, and construction of Building B and the new roads.
The third stage includes construction of the remaining buildings.
The 10 buildings would comprise 11,750 square feet of proposed retail and service space; 4,960 square feet of proposed restaurants; and 205 apartments. A building deck would be constructed on the factory site. Six of the 10 buildings would be constructed on the deck, and parking areas would be under the deck. Extensive landscaping is proposed throughout the sites.
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The three-story buildings are being designed by Greg, Wies and Gardner Architects LLC in New Haven. At a previous PZ meeting, architect Sam Gardner said the architectural style would be New England coastline and “classic Connecticut.”
Neighbors’ Concern
About 60 people attended public hearings on the PDD in December and January. Many spoke in favor of the proposal, but residents of Wilford Avenue expressed concerns about the density of the project, the number of buildings and their height. They also questioned possible traffic issues on Wilford Avenue and Church Street.
Wilford Avenue runs parallel to Meadow Street. The building proposed for 256 Meadow St. would be on property directly abutting the backyards of some homes. Click here to read about those concerns.
Atlantic Wire’s Troubled Past
The wire mill, which began operations in 1906, declared bankruptcy in 2008 after being charged with federal crimes and state violations for polluting the Branford River. At that time, former Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called Atlantic Wire one of the worst polluters in the state.
Robert Meyer, the former chief financial officer of Atlantic Wire, pleaded guilty to criminal charges in U.S. District Court in 2009 to two counts of violating the federal Clean Water Act and to submitting false statements regarding its pollution measures. Company owners began an extensive clean-up of the site as part of a deal they made with the state.
Kevin O’Neill, president of Cherry Hill Glass Co. on Elm Street, purchased the property in 2010, along with his corporate partners, Jeffrey A. James and Theodore J. Cwiertniewicz through their One Church Street LLC corporation.
Smith and his partners have an option to buy the property if the proposals are approved. The land is in three separate lots — the main property at 1 Church St. is 5.19 acres; the lot across the street at 256 Meadow St. is 1.19 acres; and a lot at Rear Meadow is 1.27 acres.
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A "neighborhood" that is mostly coated by a giant, toxic asphalt parking lot? No thank you.