Diana Stricker Photo
IWC
The Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) selected independent consultants to review plans for a proposed retail project at 250 North Main Street. The public hearing will be 7:30 p.m. September 14 at the Canoe Brook Senior Center.
The commission voted unanimously at the Aug. 10 meeting to select Codespoti & Associates of Orange to do a peer review of the plans. The only other response was from CLA Engineers of Norwich. The applicant pays for the cost of a peer review.
The commissioners agreed last month that outside experts were needed to evaluate the project, which will impact the wetlands. The IWC, which has seven members and three alternates, doesn’t have all the expertise it once had. The Board of Selectmen (BOS) voted 2-1 on two separate occasions to appoint new members rather than re-appoint ones with wetlands proficiency.
However, the commission is gaining more expertise with the appointment of a new commissioner earlier this month. There is still one vacancy on the IWC. The commission is currently comprised of five Republicans, one Democrat and three unaffiliated.
250 North Main St.
The site of the proposed retail project is located between Route 1 and I-95. It’s adjacent to the W. S. Clancy Memorial Funeral Home on one side, and United Tire Inc. and Greystone Manor condominiums on the other side.
The site was once mentioned as a possible location for the town’s new public works building, but the public works department is still housed in a temporary rental facility at 137 North Branford Road where it wound up after its North Main Street facility was torn down in March 2011 to make way for the new Fire Headquarters.
About 14 years ago, Costco looked at the property near the current Clancy funeral home as a possible location but determined it would take too many zoning variances to construct the warehouse store there.
Jeff Shapiro and family, who operate the Cedar Island Marina in Clinton, have owned the property since 1997. Shapiro received approval two years ago for Phase 1 of the project, which created an access road for the 13-acre parcel. The second phase wasn’t approved at that time, but the commission said the owner could re-apply in the future.
John Mancini, an engineer with BL Companies in Meriden, revised the plans several times before the IWC approved Phase 1 in 2015.
Mancini made an informal presentation at last month’s meeting regarding Phase 2. The name of the potential retail operation was not disclosed.
Commissioner Suzanne Botta said at the July meeting that it would be helpful to select a peer reviewer since the commission does not have all the expertise it once did. Botta said the consultant could review wetlands mitigation and creation; stormwater and hydrological connection to wetlands; and prudent and feasible alternatives. Peter Bassermann, who chairs the commission, also suggested the consultant review the wetlands that were created in Phase 1 as replacements for ones that were disturbed when the access road was built.
Botta, a science teacher; and Bassermann, an engineer, are the only commissioners who served when the project was initially presented a couple years ago.
New Commissioner
Earlier this month, the BOS appointed Mark June-Wells (pictured at top right) to fill a vacancy on the commission. He is a limnologist — a person who is certified in freshwater research.
June-Wells, who attended his first IWC meeting this month, has a Masters and PhD from Rutgers University. He is an owner/operator of Aquatic Ecosystem Research, a freshwater research and consulting company in Branford. He is a Certified Lake Manager and a Certified Ecologist.
Cosgrove Changed Commission
The commission underwent numerous changes when the BOS) voted 2-1 in August 2015 and June 2016 to remove six of the 10 members whose terms had expired. All six wanted to continue serving, but were replaced. Other openings occurred due to resignations and the death of a longtime commissioner.
First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove was criticized for removing commissioners with training and expertise. At that time, he said he replaced the commissioners because “there are other residents in town who want to serve the town.”
Among the commissioners who were replaced in 2015 was Dr. Richard Orson, one of the leading inland wetlands scholars in the state. With experts on the commission there was little need to hire outside consultants.
The commission changes that were made in August 2015 occurred shortly before Costco was expected to submit its site plan application to build a commercial complex at Exit 56. The 44-acre Planned Development District (PDD) and Master Plan were approved by a 3-2 vote of the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission in July 2015. The developers still had to seek approval for specific site plans from the IWC and P&Z.
The IWC changes in June 2016 occurred after Costco and the other developers withdrew their applications in late April, shortly before the IWC was set to begin deliberations and vote. If the projects were denied, the developers could not re-submit the same proposals. Costco announced in February 2017 that it was no longer interested in Branford.
The two-year timeframe for the Exit 56 developers to submit site plans to IWC and to P&Z expired at the end of last month. However, the P&Z recently voted 3-2 to grant a one-year extension.
###
