Diana Stricker Photo
If plans for a Costco and seven other commercial buildings become a reality at Branford’s Exit 56, there will be a significant impact on traffic and changes to the surrounding road network.
The proposed master plan for development of 44 acres calls for two new access roads on Route 1 and two on East Industrial Road; plus three partial access driveways. One location for a new access road is pictured above, on East Industrial Road directly across from the I‑95 southbound ramps.
According to the master plan, the first phase of the project would be the construction of a 158,070 square-foot Costco store on about 22 acres at 572 E. Main St. owned by Wayne Cooke and the Cooke family. That square-footage also includes a gas station with eight pump islands and 16 hoses.
A traffic study submitted with Costco’s master plan says improvements will most likely occur at various intersections on Leetes Island Road, East Industrial Road and Route 1.
This is all to accommodate an anticipated increase in traffic. The traffic analysis, prepared by BL Companies in Meriden, which represents Costco, estimates new trip generation of about 550 vehicles during a weekday morning peak hour; 1,264 on a weekday afternoon peak hour, and 1,860 on a Saturday peak hour.
The potential traffic impact is one of the factors that the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) and the town’s engineering department will examine as part of the deliberations on Costco’s request for a Planned Development District (PDD).
“We’ll be scrutinizing this and looking at it carefully in terms of the impact on the local roads,” said Rich Stoecker, the interim town planner.
A public hearing on Costco’s master plans will be held April 2 at 7 p.m. at the high school, and may be continued to another date if more time is needed for testimony from developers and the public. Click here to read a previous story about the Costco plans.
With Permission
The roads in direct proximity to the project are: Route 1 (East Main Street), which is a state road; and Leetes Island Road and East Industrial Road, which are both town roads; and Interstate 95.
The report states: “The proposed master plan includes a comprehensive approach to the long-term build-out of the entire property, including several significant improvements to the adjacent and internal roadway network.”
P&Z Peer Review
The P&Z has already requested that a peer review of the traffic study be undertaken. This will give the town an independent consultant’s opinion of the project’s impact on traffic and roads.
The issue of a peer review was raised during the Feb. 19 P&Z meeting by commissioner Charles Andres, who is an attorney. The town’s attorney, Bill Aniskovich agreed, and the commission decided to make the request.
The commission made a similar request when the Atlantic Wharf master plan was recently being considered. The P&Z approved the master plan and the PDD, and placed conditions on the project based on suggestions in the traffic peer review study. Click here to read about that project.
Existing Traffic Numbers
The developers’ traffic report looks at the existing traffic volume on the surrounding roads. It lists Route 1 as having an average daily traffic volume of 7,600 trips west of Leetes Island Road; and 9,800 to the east. Leetes Island Road had approximately 10,000 average daily trips in the area of the project; and East Industrial Road about 6,000 daily trips. Interstate 95 near Exit 56 had 72,000 average daily trips .
The report says traffic counts were conducted in May 2013 on surrounding roads, for use in a future traffic analysis. The traffic volume on Route 1 in the area of the project was 885 trips during the Friday afternoon peak hour; and 900 trips during the Saturday mid-day peak. The traffic volume during the peak hour on East Industrial Road was about 540 on Friday afternoon; and 400 during the Saturday mid-day hour.
The report says that a more detailed evaluation of the projected traffic operations and suggestions for road improvements will be made when the site plans are submitted. It listed the following intersections where improvements may be made: Leetes Island Road at I-95 northbound ramps; Leetes Island Road at East Industrial Road; East Industrial Road at I-95 southbound ramps; and Route 1 at Leetes Island Road.
Costco Is Phase 1
Costco and the two main property owners are requesting that five parcels totaling about 44 acres be designated as a PDD. The designation would allow commercial and retail development on the properties, which are currently zoned General Industrial 2 (IG-2). If approved, the developers would be required to submit detailed site plans, which would necessitate additional public hearings before the P&Z and the Inland Wetlands Commission.
Costco, which is slated for Phase 1 construction, would have two new access roads. One would be on Route 1, directly across from Cooke’s Hilltop Orchard property; and the other on East Industrial Road directly opposite the 1-95 southbound ramps, approximately where the access road to the Connecticut Shellfish company is located.
In the second or subsequent phases, the plans call for seven buildings including a pharmacy, retail stores and restaurants. These would be built on the western half of the PDD, on approximately 16 acres at 569 E. Main St. owned by Charles E. Weber Jr. and Al Secondino through their 595 Corporate Circle Corporation. Those seven buildings would tally about 86,775 square footage.
Two new access roads would be built for the western half of the property—one on East Industrial Road directly opposite the Travel Center driveway; and the other on Route 1 just east of the driveway of the Chowder Pot restaurant and Citizens Bank.
Three partial access driveways are also planned.
Master Plan vs. Piecemeal Development
The developer’s traffic study compares a theoretical piecemeal development to the proposed development under a PDD. It says if the properties were developed individually under the current zoning, the land could possibly be subdivided into 17 parcels.
Under the current IG-2 zoning, buildings such as medical offices, restaurants, a gas station and small retail buildings could be allowed if special exceptions are granted. The report says a piecemeal plan would involve numerous curb cuts, and that interconnections among the parcels could be difficult to achieve.
The report lists several benefits of the master plan—it would minimize curb cuts, there would be an internal interconnection among the parcels; and there would be an internal road between Route 1 and East Industrial Road which would alleviate some traffic on Leetes Island Road.
In addition, if the master plan is approved, it would trigger a traffic review by the Office of State Traffic Administration (OSTA). The report says OSTA can require traffic improvements beyond the immediate site, something that would not occur in piecemeal development.
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This development would be a very bad mistake, ugly and polluting as well as doomed by our failing economy. The big box era is over as soon cars will be.