Traffic & Water Issues Dominate Final Costco Public Hearing

It seems Branford would have some say in the design of a new Costco warehouse and in improvements to surrounding roads. And the Costco team says it will try to reduce the amount of impervious surface to meet local regulations.

But whether those assurances are enough to quell concerns about the Master Plan for 44-acres of land near Exit 56 won’t be known until the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission votes on the project.

One major issue is traffic on town and state roads like Route 1, especially during the summer months when I-95 is clogged with traffic. The P&Z wants to get real-time traffic data, especially for those months. 

The fourth and final session of the Costco public hearing ended Thursday night with in-depth questions from the P&Z; and new information from Costco’s development team.

Deliberations will most likely begin at the May 21 P&Z meeting which will be held at the community room at Fire Headquarters. A decision is due within 65 days after a public hearing closes.

“We’ve got a lot of material for the commission to look at,” said P&Z chairman Ellsworth McGuigan.

New Final Public Hearing Developments Include:

—Costco’s development specialist presented sketches of the warehouse store (see top photo) that shows the Costco warehouse fronts on East Main Street. And the P&Z found a regulation that allows them to have aesthetic oversight during the site plan stage.

—- Costco’s lead engineer revealed plans for Exit 53 that preclude Costco from using land there because of a possible private-public partnership of landowners that could eventually bring a complete interchange to I-95.

—- The commission accepted the Branford Citizens for Responsible Development’s (BCRD) request for intervener status, but Costco’s attorney later said the group’s environmental claims were speculative and that intervener status is not appropriate at this time.

—- The town’s traffic expert and Costco’s traffic engineer both addressed traffic issues, but the P&Z wants real-time traffic data instead of statistical rates from the Institute of Transportation Engineering manual.

—- The chair of the P&Z says the 65 percent impervious surface will have to be reduced to the mandatory maximum of 60 percent.

About 135 people attended the public hearing at the Branford High School auditorium, but only about 35 remained until the hearing officially closed at 10:40 p.m.

Views from Route 1

“This is just a preview,” said Mark Marchisano (pictured), Costco’s director of development as he displayed architectural concepts during a power point presentation.

Marchisano said the architects typically start from the prototype design and then work “to make it fit” the community. “The idea is not only to fit in with the surrounding architecture but also the materials,” such as some utilization of Stony Creek granite. “There are options that exist,” he said.

Marchisano’s comments came during a two-hour rebuttal presented by the Costco development team in answer to questions from the commission and residents at previous meetings.

Commissioner Charles Andres, who raised the aesthetic overview question last week, said he found a regulation that allows the P&Z to review design issues for commercial buildings during the site plan stage, if the project advances to that level.

“Costco is not a standard retailer,” said Marchisano, adding that Costco is known for its high standard of quality and its concern for customers and employees. “We are very much community-oriented,” he said.

What About Exit 53 for Costco?

John Mancini, a senior principal at BL Companies, talked about claims that Costco could be built at Exit 53 instead of Exit 56.

Mancini said he worked on the engineering for Walmart when the project was proposed in 1990. He said promises were made then that the Amtrak bridge overpass on Route 1 near the “pretzel” would be replaced in 1995. “Sixteen years later it actually started,” he said. He said work to complete the I-95 interchange is taking even longer.

Mancini said property at Exit 53 is owned by several different entities, and that Costco does not have rights to any of those properties. “This project just doesn’t fit at Exit 53,” he said, noting that traffic already spills onto Route 1 and Exit 54 because of the partial interchange.

Mancini said he is working with property owners at Exit 53 and they are pursuing a public-private partnership with the state to fix the Exit 53 interchange.  He said that solution is a not in the near future. “There is an opportunity there, but that opportunity isn’t now,” Mancini said.

P&Z Approves Intervention

At the beginning of Thursday’s meeting, P&Z chair McGuigan said he would accept a petition for intervener status that was filed last week by the Branford Citizens for Responsible Development (BCRD). The members of the commission agreed.

The intervener status gives the BCRD legal standing in regard to Costco’s request to establish a Planned Development District on 44 acres at Exit 56. The Connecticut Environmental Protection Act of 1971 gives citizens the right to intervene if it is “reasonably likely” a project will affect air, water of other natural resources. Click here to read that story.

Cody objected to that action Thursday night. “We were disappointed to see it accepted,” Cody said. “It is not an appropriate procedural tool at this point,” he claimed.

Cody cited a state Supreme Court case that ruled that intervener status is not appropriate for proceedings involving zoning amendments but would be allowed at the site plan stage. 

Commissioner John Lust asked if there was a Master Plan in that particular court case.

“I don’t think there was,” Cody said. “I don’t think it’s relevant.”

Cody also said the environmental impact claims mentioned in the petition were “either incorrect or wildly speculative.” He said Costco’s engineering team spent a “great deal of time” on the storm water treatment, and that the plans will protect the water quality. He said detailed plans will be submitted to both the P&Z and to the Inland Wetlands Commission if the PDD is approved.

Real-time Traffic Data or Statistical Rates?

“I don’t understand why real-time data wouldn’t be used in a case like this when traffic is such an important issue,” said Commissioner Lust.

“Real-time data is preferred,” said David Sullivan (pictured) , the traffic consultant hired by the town to do a peer review of Costco’s traffic study. Sullivan said the DOT will accept both real-time data or the statistical rates from the Institute of Transportation Engineering manual.

“Why didn’t they do (traffic) counts in the summer months?” Lust asked, adding that Route 1 is especially crowded then. ​“I just think that’s pretty critical information to have.”

“There is no doubt along the shoreline that traffic increases particularly on a Sunday afternoon or Friday afternoon, if you take into account a lot of the beach commuters,” Sullivan said. He said some shoreline towns, like East Lyme, have regulations requiring that traffic counts reflect summer traffic. 

Lust says he travels Route 1 daily and that during the summer months there are times that Route 1 ​“gridlock — absolute gridlock.”

Commissioner Joe Chadwick asked about the effect the PDD will have on other roads leading to the proposed retail site, a concern residents have raised at the public hearings. ​“I think the biggest concern we all have is developing an understanding of tributary traffic all the way back in the system, not necessarily just at the site,” he said.

Sullivan also advised the commission about their rights concerning traffic issues if the Master Plan is approved and the project moves to the site plan stage. The size of the project automatically triggers a traffic review by the Office of State Traffic Administration (OSTA).

Sullivan says the Local Traffic Authority, which in Branford is the Police Commission, can have input in the OSTA process. ​“Where that becomes important is if there’s things the town is concerned about that may be a state road or may go beyond the purview of OSTA.”

He said if the commission or staff has concerns about road and signal improvements ​“you want to let your Local Traffic Authority know so they can relay that feeling to OSTA so that when they go through the process, they’re aware of your desires.”

Commissioner Andres later asked Costco’s engineer why they weren’t using real-world traffic data.

“Getting that special data is not that easy for this usage,” Mancini said. He said the OSTA review will be extensive, and that the Local Traffic Authority will be an advocate for the town.

Joe Montesano, Costco’s real estate consultant, also addressed the issue of traffic counts. He said the company is confident their plans will work.

“You have to understand one thing,” Montesano said. ​“Costco has been working on this for a long time. Costco has wanted to come to Branford for a long time.”

Costco, the fourth largest discount retailer in the United States and in the world, has long sought to build a store in this area of the shoreline. It failed in Branford in the past and it failed in Guilford in 2010 when it wanted to place a warehouse on the so-called Rock Pile site; the town rejected a 150,000-square-foot store at the Rock Pile, located one exit up, off Exit 57 at I‑95. Click here to read our earlier Guilford-Costco story.

Montesano also said 30 percent of their customers are small local businesses that purchase bulk items from Costco. Montesano said it’s important that those small business owners are able to get to the warehouse store on time. ​“If they can’t get to us, we’ve done it all wrong.”

Montesano said they know how to please customers. ​“We’re opening 50 buildings a year and we typically don’t get it wrong.”

What About Stormwater?

Issues regarding stormwater treatment, which were previously raised by local environmentalist Bill Horne (pictured), continued to dominate much of the discussion Thursday night. Click here to read about the April 16 meeting.

The development team is requesting 65 percent impervious surface coverage instead of the 60 percent mandated by town regulations. Impervious surface includes pavement and areas where buildings are constructed. 

P&Z chair McGuigan said the commission can ask that the percentage of impervious surface be lowered. “I think the commission has every right to put a more stringent number on that,” he said.

Town engineer Janice Plaziak, who submitted comments on the plans, addressed the issue of impervious surface.

“I do want to point out that the current request for 65 percent impervious surface ratio is in excess of the commission’s current regulations of a maximum of 60 percent for all non-residential zones in town,” Plaziak said.

Horne addressed the commission again with his concerns. He also read a portion of a letter submitted Thursday by David Carey, director of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Aquaculture. The letter stated: “The department is concerned about any additional storm flows entering the Branford River and especially Jarvis Creek, which has much smaller capacity and therefore exaggerates negative impacts during storm flows. All planned developments of this scale involving freshwater bodies and wetlands within the development should include plans for containment of all storm flows.”

At Thursday’s meeting, Horne told the P&Z that the materials Costco submitted April 28 did not address “important shortcomings” regarding impervious surface and storm water treatment. He said Costco is still asking for 65 percent impervious surface. In addition, he said the Master Plan still impinges on the upland review area, which is the 100-foot area near wetlands.

Horne also addressed Cody’s comment at the April 30 hearing that the impervious surface would be lower if the town’s regulations excluding wetlands were omitted from the calculation of impervious surface area ratio. Horne said these regulations are necessary to provide adequate storm water treatment.

Horne also questioned Cody’s suggestion that the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) is only an advisory document. He said zoning regulations in regard to PDDs require the P&Z to determine if the Master Plan conforms to the POCD. 

“The PDD Master Plan, including what was submitted on April 28, does not conform to the POCD,” Horne said.

Horne asked the P&Z to request a statement from the IWC to determine if the Master Plan complies with their regulations. “It seems to me the opinion of the Inland Wetlands Commission would be not just appropriate, but critically important in your evaluation of the Planned Development District Master Plan.”

Development Team Speaks

Attorney Tom Cody, who represents Costco, said he believes the Master Plan complies with the town’s POCD in terms a business development, improving the tax base, complying with proper access management to Route 1, and stormwater planning.

He also said the full Master Plan will be submitted to the Inland Wetlands Commission during the next phase, not just Costco’s portion.

Cody entered two documents into evidence—a statement of consistency regarding how the plan complies with the POCD and regulations; and the proposed findings of fact. “We would ask you to think about these,” he told the commission. He also said the developers will submit the entire 44-acre plan to OSTA for their review, not just Costco.

Michelle Carlson, PDD project manager with BL Companies, explained the plans for storm water treatment. “We fully intend to follow the town, state and federal regulations,” she said. Carlson said they will take a comprehensive look at storm water management issues during the site plan stage. She said the result will be a storm water treatment plan “that everyone can be proud of.”

Montesano said the engineers will continue to investigate solutions to reduce the percentage of impervious surface. “We want to do what is right by the community,” he said. 

Public Comment Ends

Prior to the close of the fourth public comment period, 10 people commented Thursday night, with seven speaking in opposition and three in support.

Jim Walker, a Republican member of the Representative Town Meeting who lives in Stony Creek, said he supports the project but has listened to the concerns of the BCRD. “I do not know of anyone who has done anything positive to bring responsible development to the town of Branford in that group,” Walker said. “And that is in direct contrast to the positive efforts of citizens such as Joe Gordon, Terry Elton, Jamie Cosgrove, Perry Maresca and others who have worked together to bring, what I consider to be, a very responsible project before us for the Costco Planned Development District.”

Costco and the two main property owners are seeking a Planned Development District for five parcels totaling about 44 acres. The Master Plan calls for constructing a 158,070 square-foot Costco on about 22 acres owned by Wayne Cooke and the Cooke family. During subsequent phases of construction, seven commercial buildings totaling about 86,775 square feet would be built on the western half of the PDD on property owned by Charles E. Weber Jr. and Al Secondino.
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