Diana Stricker Photo
The owner of Premier Subaru is hoping to build a new facility, with more than 30 service bays and a museum, on properties across the road from his Branford headquarters (pictured) at 150 N. Main St.
The Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) will hold a public hearing Nov. 10 on the proposal, which involves three adjoining properties at 155, 165 and 175 N. Main St. The properties are all owned by Bob Alvine, president and general manager of the dealership, through his Premier Realty Holdings LLC .
With Permission
“This new facility, which exceeds 30,000 square feet, will help us better serve our Subaru customers with state of the art features – including a large service drive-through lane, Express Service, more than 30 service bays and a Subaru heritage museum, where we will celebrate Subaru’s history in the United States with some incredibly unique and rare Subaru vehicles,” Alvine told the Eagle over the weekend.
Alvine also owns Premier Kia of Branford; and Subaru and Volvo dealerships in Watertown. “We are proud to call Branford home – and headquarters — to the auto group,” he said.
In other business Thursday, the chair of the IWC announced he will write up a draft proposal regarding the use of third-party consultants on proposed projects, and the commission can discuss it before forwarding the proposal to the town attorney. The meeting took place at the Canoe Brook Senior Center.
The commission also approved a walkway at the Branford Land Trust property on Red Hill Road.
A New Subaru Building
Diana Stricker Photo
Engineer Michael Harkin (pictured), of Harkin Engineering in Killingworth, made a brief presentation at Thursday’s IWC meeting. Harkin, pictured above, said buildings at 155 and 165 N. Main will be torn down and replaced by the new dealership building. John Matthews Architects of Madison designed the building and will be part of the full presentation next month.
Harkin said the office building at 175 N. Main will remain and cars will be displayed on all the lots.
The Kia dealership, currently located at 165 N. Main St., will soon be moving operations to 205 N. Main St., the site of a former Dodge dealership. Alvine received approval last year to renovate the building for his Kia dealership.
Harkin said the lots total about 8.4 acres, and that wetlands are on 3.6 of those acres. “We are proposing no direct wetland impact,” he said, but added there will be some impact to the buffer areas.
Harkin said the development team has been working on the plans for 13 months, and has met with town staff several times. He said plans were revised as recommended by the fire marshal. Harkin said they already talked with the state DOT regarding the frontage along Route 1. “We’re implementing their comments into the plan,” he said.
The stormwater drainage plans include several detention basins and an underground water detention system. “Less water will be coming off the site than now,” Harkin said in regard to the proposed development.
One neighbor asked questions about stormwater drainage in regard to his Ivy Street property. He said there has been flooding in the past, but it may come from the property where buses park behind the 175 N. Main parcel. Harkin spoke with him after Thursday’s meeting.
IWC commissioner Suzanne Botta said a site walk would be beneficial. “I think we need to see the wetlands in the back of the property,” she said. The site walk will be Nov. 5 at 9 a.m.
Alvine, who opened the dealership at 150 N. Main in 2000, began purchasing the properties across the street about 16 years ago.
Remember 175 N. Main and the Swap?
The site at 175 N. Main St. was newsworthy in 2010 when it was part of a proposed three-way swap by former First Selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos. Plans called for moving the senior center from the town-owned Canoe Brook Center on Cherry Hill Road to an office building at 175 N. Main Street, which was owned by the Giordano family. The Giordanos would swap their building for the town-owned building at the corner of Main and Montowese streets, which houses the Board of Education (BOE) offices, which would then move to the Canoe Brook Center. Those plans met considerable opposition and never materialized.
Plans are now underway to place the BOE offices at a renovated and expanded $88.2M Walsh Intermediate School, leaving the BOE offices at what was once the old corner post office available for other use.
Alvine purchased the site at 175 N. Main from the Giordano family in 2013.
Discussions about Consultants
Diana Stricker Photo
L-R:Suzanne Botta, Peter Bassermann and Richard K. Greenalch.
Peter Bassermann, who chairs the IWC, said Thursday he will draw up a draft proposal regarding the use of third-part consultants. He said the commission can discuss it at upcoming meetings.
Bassermann raised the issue last month when he said it’s important to clarify the use of third-party consultants before another complex project application comes before the IWC. At that time, he said he would ask Town Attorney Bill Aniskovich to review the issues, but he said Thursday it would be better for the commission to discuss it first and then send a proposal to Aniskovich.
Bog Walk
The commission unanimously approved a request by the Branford Land Trust regarding a small walkway at the newly acquired Red Hill Woods property.
The Land Trust erected a temporary wooden bridge to provide safe crossing of a muddy bog on the property where the Branford Trail System crosses. They will now be able to anchor the small structure permanently.
The 29-acre parcel is located at the end of Red Hill Road on the eastern end of town, south of I‑95 and north of the 406-acre Stony Creek Quarry Preserve.
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