Demolition Permit Sought for Atlantic Wire Factory

The possibility of demolishing the former Atlantic Wire factory on Church Street could become a reality if a demolition permit is approved.

That could spur development of the property as an upscale apartment and commercial complex, if another legal appeal regarding the housing complex does not materialize. The developer has renamed the property Atlantic Wharf.

A request for a demolition permit was filed with the Branford Building Department by the current property owners, One Church Street LLC. The corporation is comprised of Kevin O’Neill, president of Cherry Hill Glass Co. on Elm Street; and his corporate partners, Jeffrey A. James and Theodore J. Cwiertniewicz .

Demolition permits are typically subject to approvals and clearances by various agencies, including state agencies, and the approval process can be complex depending on the location of the structure. Atlantic Wire is located near a railroad station and a river.

Branford Building Department Director Anthony Cinicola said multiple agencies and utilities, including the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, have to approve the demolition project before a permit can be issued. That could take up to 90 days. The sign posted on the factory includes a 30-day public comment period, which ends April 21.

Atlantic Wire’s Storied Past

Atlantic Wire, located along the Branford River just blocks from the Town Center, manufactured industrial wire for 102 years.

Efforts to clean-up industrial contamination at the factory site have been ongoing for several years. The factory 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.

Atlantic Wire officials pleaded guilty in December 2008 in U.S. District Court to criminal charges and the owners began an extensive clean-up of the site as part of a deal they made with the state.

O’Neill’s corporation purchased the site in 2010, and have continued with the clean-up efforts.

Robert H. Smith Jr., CEO of Milford-based Metro Star Properties LLC, has an option to purchase the property. Smith and his partners hope to develop the 7.5 acre site into an upscale apartment complex featuring 203 apartments, plus retail and restaurants. The site is along the Branford River, within walking distance to the Town Center and the Shoreline East Train Station.

The plans were unanimously by the P&Z in January 2016. Smith told the Eagle at that time that he hoped to start the development process in the summer of 2016, beginning with demolition and environmental remediation at the factory site.

However, plans were halted when the Costanzo family, of 33 Wilford Ave., filed an appeal in February 2016 in New Haven Superior court to reverse the P&Z decision. That appeal was dismissed in January 2017 by Superior Court Judge Angela Robinson who issued a 13-page decision. The judge said that “the substantial evidence” in the record “does not support any of the plaintiff’s three claims raised on appeal.”

Neighbor Seeks Permission to Appeal

Attorney Chris J. Smith of Shipman & Goodwin in Hartford represents Metro Star Properties, LLC,  Atlantic Wharf project’s developer.
The Costanzo family has now filed a petition for certification with the Appellate Court seeking permission to appeal the lower court’s ruling in Metro Star’s favor. ( Appellate review is not an automatic right.) 

Smith responded by filing a statement to the Appellate Court in opposition to the neighbor’s petition. He told the Eagle the Appellate Court should rule within the next month or two.
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