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New Plans Unveiled for Sterling Ridge Housing Project

With Permission

New plans are being proposed for the Sterling Ridge residential project located in the Canoe Brook Historic District in the heart of Branford. Various owners have attempted to develop the site since 2003, but were stalled by opponents objecting to the project.

The Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission set a public hearing April 20 to discuss modifications to the previously-approved Planned Development District (PDD) and Master Plan. A preliminary sketch shown above depicts one of four proposed duplex buildings. 

File Photo

The property is located at 26 Cherry Hill Road, across the street from the Canoe Brook Senior Center, and adjacent to the historic Harrison House on Main Street. Members of the Branford Historical Society, which owns the Harrison House, have been outspoken critics during previous public hearings. One concern was the effect of demolition.

Also at the March 16 meeting, the P&Z unanimously approved a request to build a banquet room at Tommy Sullivan’s Cafe at 240 N. Main Street.

Tommy Sullivan’s Expands

Tommy Sullivan’s received approval to remove an existing 240 square-foot covered deck and create a 331 square-foot banquet room at the cafe.

Diana Stricker Photo

Matt Reale, owner of MN Reale Construction in Branford, explained the project to the commission and answered questions regarding landscaping, parking and a sidewalk.

Assistant Town Planner Rich Stoecker discussed the staff report and the conditions for approval. He said a new landscaping plan is required that will show existing and proposed plantings. In addition, line striping will be required in the gravel parking lot, and the sidewalk should be extended to the intersection of Chestnut Street. He also said there is sufficient parking spaces for the proposal.

Sterling Ridge Tries Again

File Photo

Attorney Bernard Pellegrino (pictured), of the Pellegrino Law Firm in New Haven, filed plans at Town Hall earlier this month outlining the new proposal for Sterling Ridge Estates. The revised plans call for four buildings each containing two residential units, for a total of eight units.

The existing home, known as the McCabe House, on the northern half of the site, would be excluded from the PDD and rezoned as residential.,

These plans were devised after attempts to develop the property in 2015 were put on hold by various factors. The appeal has been on the docket of the Zoning Board of Appeals since late 2015, while both sides discussed the issues.

The new plans are a modification of the PDD and Master Plan, not the specific issue that is under appeal.

Developer Alan Genn of Greenwich purchased the property in 2014 through his 26 Cherry Hill LLC corporation for $500,000, and has been attempting to develop the site since then.

In 2015, the P&Z held public hearings on a request by Genn to revise the PDD that was approved in 2007. Genn’s revised plans called for construction of three buildings on the southern half of the property for a total of 12 units. In September 2015, the developer withdrew the plans just hours before the P&Z was set to deny the project.

In October 2015, the developer requested and received a town permit to begin building the 2007 project after it became apparent that revised plans would not be approved. That’s when the most recent appeal was filed.

The P&Z did not discuss the new plans at the recent meeting, except for scheduling the public hearing at 7 p.m. April 20 at the Fire Headquarters community room.

The preliminary drawings included with the application were done by Plans Ahead LLC of Branford, and differ from the previous sketches. One of the sketches depicts a two-story building, with a 2,158 square-foot residential unit on the second floor, and a 1,880 square-foot unit on the first floor. A garage would also be on the first floor.

The house on the northern part of the property would be a single-family residence and would be subdivided from the PDD, if the plans are approved.

The engineering and stormwater management plans were submitted by Milone & MacBroom of Cheshire.

History of an Historical Site

With Permission

The property in question 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. The site has been owned by several other developers over the years.

The initial Sterling Ridge proposal in 2003 called for construction of condominiums in four buildings, and the demolition of the 1820 Wyllys Russell House at 162 Main St., and the 1928 McCabe House at 26 Cherry Hill Road.

Martha Bradshaw and Trapasso, both members of the Branford Historical Society, spearheaded a campaign in 2003 to save the Russell House. They presented a petition with more than 600 signatures to the Connecticut Historic Preservation Council in Hartford. The Wyllys Russell House was eventually divided from the property, and was sold and restored.

Another plan was approved in 2005, but an appeal was filed by the Branford Historical Society; and by Trapasso, who lives adjacent to the site. A settlement agreement was reached, and the P&Z approved modified plans on Feb. 1, 2007.

Condo construction never materialized, and a new owner purchased the Cherry Hill property in 2007. Shortly after the sale, the approval from the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) expired. The owner, John Giordano of Branford, received IWC approval in October 2008. He later sold the property.

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