First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove announced Monday that Costco will be meeting with town department heads soon to discuss plans for bringing the retail store to Branford’s Exit 56.
“If Costco’s preferred site is Exit 56 and if they are willing to work with town officials to assure a properly permitted project that delivers tangible benefits to taxpayers and consumers, then I remain committed to helping bring this project to completion,” Cosgrove said in a press release.
A proposed Costco development, which has been discussed for more than a year behind the scenes, first came to light at a Nov. 21, 2013 P&Z meeting. A combined preliminary acre aerial site plan was submitted to the commission and became part of the public record. The land is owned by Wayne Cooke and by the 595 Corporate Circle, whose partners are Charles E. Weber and Alfred J. Secondino Jr.
Jeffrey Brotman, chairman of the Board of Costco Wholesale, issued this statement in the press release: “Branford is a very attractive community for Costco, and a place where we have wanted to locate for some time. The Town’s smart approach to commercial development is a great fit for us, and we look forward to giving back through our many employee and community-based programs.”
Costco has requested a meeting with the town engineer, town planner and with the director of the Inland Wetlands and Natural Resources Department (I-W).
These types of departmental meetings are typically the first step that developers take before filing paperwork and making a formal application for a project. As of this morning, no plans have been filed at either the I-W or the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) departments.
“This will be the first time any of us will see the plans,” Diana Ross, director of the I-W department, told the Eagle. She said once the Costco developers are ready to make a formal application, they will need to apply to Inland Wetlands first because of the wetlands involved. “They have to apply to Inland Wetlands first if there are wetlands,” she said. If a project is approved by the I-W commission, then it would proceed to the P&Z commission. Public hearings would be scheduled for both commissions.
Ross said it is common for developers, even for small projects, to request meetings with department heads to get their input. She said plans are often revised to concur with suggestions made by the department heads.
According to the preliminary plans released last year, the overall 37-acre site stretches from East Main Street to East Industrial Road and is not far from the Guilford line. By size and development it would transform the landscape on East Main Street near the current Stop & Shop. For example, the corner across from the Chowder Pot restaurant and adjacent to the Stop & Shop is labeled as a proposed new home for a 14,800 square-foot drug store. It remains to be seen if the 37-acre site has been changed since that preliminary plan.
Bringing Costco to Exit 56 was a key goal of Cosgrove’s 2113 political campaign, and an objective he frequently stated during the past year.
“We welcome Costco’s interest in helping us grow our tax base through responsible development of areas designated for commercial use,” Cosgrove said in the press release. “With our residential and personal property grand list contracting, the fairest way to protect taxpayers is sensible growth of our commercial tax base.”
The Eagle asked Cosgrove in an interview last week if Costco was coming to town. But he was not ready to announce what he apparently knew then.
“I’d welcome them to come to Branford. That’s their decision,” Cosgrove said, adding he supports appropriate development that would build the tax base.
“In order for us to sustain the programs and level of services we offer, we need to relieve pressures created by tax burden,” Cosgrove said in an interview. “We do that by broadening the tax base.”
Cooke Settlement Paved The Way
Costco’s decision to meet with town officials soon comes two weeks after the Representative Town Meeting approved a settlement involving two lawsuits between the town and Cooke, lawsuits he filed in 2012. Cooke owns a major portion of the farmland where Costco wants to build, off exit 56.
A day after the RTM settlement on Nov. 24, Cooke’s attorneys withdrew his state case, the one in which he accused former first selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos of defamation in an accusation dating to 2006. On December 4, the court docket formally reflected the withdrawal of the case by the Marcus Law Firm, Cooke’s attorney.
The defamation allegedly involves remarks concerning Costco and Cooke’s attempts to sell his land to a developer at that time. In recent months Costco let it be known to town officials that until the Cooke lawsuits were settled it would not make a decision about coming to Branford. The company did not envision testifying in the lawsuit had it gone to trial.
Marcia Chambers contributed reporting for this story.
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This exciting new development further highlights the need for improved bus service—including evenings and weekends—to link Route 1 with the Branford and Guilford rail stations. The demand is there. This is where the jobs are; this is where people want to shop; let's serve that demand.