With Permission
A public hearing will continue this week for the long proposed Sterling Ridge apartments in Branford’s Canoe Brook Historic District.
The property in question is a 3.45 acre lot at 26 Cherry Hill Road, across the street from the Canoe Brook Senior Center, and adjacent to the historic Harrison House on Main Street. Several owners have attempted to develop the site since 2003, but were stalled by various issues, including legal appeals by the Branford Historical Society and neighbors. The neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission began the hearing April 20, with testimony from the development team and residents. The next session of the hearing will be Thursday ( May 4) at 7 p.m. at the community room of Fire Headquarters.
Changing the Master Plan
The property was purchased for $500,000 in 2014 by developer Alan Genn of Greenwich through his 26 Cherry Hill LLC corporation. He is currently requesting a change to the Master Plan and an amendment to the Planned Development District (PDD). If those changes are approved, the developer would still need to submit a detailed site plan.
Attorney Bernard Pellegrino, of the Pellegrino Law Firm in New Haven, presented the developer’s new plans at the April hearing. The proposal includes four buildings with two units each for a total of eight. Two buildings would be side-by-side townhouses; and the other two would be unit-over-unit. There would be a three-bedroom unit on the lower level and two-bedroom unit on upper level.
The developer is also requesting that the single-family home known as the McCabe House, on the northern half of the site, would be removed from the PDD and rezoned as residential.
Matt Shea, of Milone & MacBroom in Cheshire, discussed parking, landscaping, sidewalks, lighting, and stormwater drainage plans. Tony Thompson, of Plans in Branford, outlined plans for each of the buildings.
More Information and Visualizations Needed
Town Planner Harry Smith discussed the seven-page staff report and requested more information about the project.
Smith asked for additional simulated visualizations of what the buildings would look like from Main Street and Cherry Hill Road. He said because of the topography of the site, the buildings will be at different levels. He also asked how much of the site has slopes greater than 25 percent, and how that would affect the buildings.
In addition, Smith asked about the proposed cut in the hillside knoll, and about the effect of blasting on the Harrison House and other area homes. He said he would contact a state architectural preservationist in regard to the proposed blasting. Smith also asked whether the building closest to the top of the knoll could be eliminated or built on the north side of the property.
Attorney Robert Harrington, who represents the Branford Historical Society, sent a letter to the developers April 3 outlining the society’s concerns.
During the April 20 hearing, he said they had since met with the developer and reached an understanding. He further stated the Historical Society would not oppose the project. However, the members do have several suggestions that the developer is addressing. Some of the issues involve exterior color tones and wall surface, roofing, window panes and landscaping.
Attorney Chris Smith, of Shipman & Goodwin in Hartford, who represents neighbor Ann Trapasso, said they have reached an agreement on some of the issues concerning the project.
In 2015, Genn’s initial request to revise the PDD 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.
The developer then requested and received a town permit to begin building the 2007 project after it became apparent the revised plans would not be approved. That’s when the most recent appeal was filed by Trapasso. The appeal continues to be listed on the docket of the Zoning Board of Appeals while both sides discussed the issues.
A Little History
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 Ann 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. A settlement agreement was reached and the P&Z approved modified plans on Feb. 1, 2007. The development never materialized, and the property changed owners a couple times, and was subsequently purchased by Genn.
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