Self-Storage — Not Burgers, Not Pot — Coming To Amity Lot

Medical marijuana? Nope.

Baconator with a side of fries? Not happening.

What about … self-storage?

If a parcel of land could converse with itself, that might just be the internal dialogue taking place at 129 Amity Rd., a 0.74-acre vacant plot on the town border with Woodbridge on the far west side of the city.

During Tuesday night’s regular monthly Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) virtual meeting, zoning commissioners unanimously approved a use variance to allow for a self-storage facility at that site.

Local attorney Jim Segaloff said that the site’s owner, 129 Amity Road LLC — a holding company controlled by The Owl Shop’s Glenn Greenberg — has lined up a developer to build just such a structure on the property. Now that the BZA has signed off on the use variance, Greenberg must next win site plan approval for the project from the City Plan Commission.

The property at 129 Amity Rd. wasn’t always slated to host a four-story rentable home for furniture, clothing, electronics, and household clutter.

Back in May 2018, Greenberg won City Plan Commission approval to open a medical marijuana dispensary on the site, which used to house a garden center. That plan fell through when the state selected the former Tommy K’s Plaza at 1351 Whalley Ave. for the dispensary license instead.

Then, in July 2019, Greenberg won City Plan Commission approval to build a Wendy’s fast food restaurant—with 26 on-site parking spaces and two Frosty-shaped bike racks — at the Amity Road site. In his zoning relief application on behalf of Greenberg’s company, Segaloff wrote that Wendy’s subsequently terminated that contract.

Now, Segaloff (pictured) said on Tuesday and wrote in a project narrative submitted along with the zoning relief application, Greenberg’s company has lined up Robert Pouliot of Boardwalk Storage Solutions to build a new self-storage facility on the property.

The main reason why the owner has had such trouble developing the site in the past, and why he has not been able to find a developer to build out a more intensive, permitted use for the property, is because the site is surrounded on all three sides by the Wilbur Cross Parkway and its southbound entry ramp. All of that surrounding land is owned by the state Department of Transportation (DOT). And the DOT had advised the owner that the development of the site ​“would require the owner to expend substantial funds to upgrade traffic signals, traffic controls and span poles.”

“All parties expressing an interest in developing the site, including Wendy’s and Chipotle have not pursued their interests, because of the cost necessary to satisfy the DOT traffic requirements,” Segaloff wrote in his project narrative for the application. ​“However, because self-storage is in high demand, generates minimal impacts and has among the lowest traffic uses of any commercial business, CT-DOT has agreed not to require traffic upgrades for a self-storage user.”

Segaloff noted that when the owner first bought the property, the site had three dilapidated buildings dating back to the former garden center. The owner has subsequently demolished two of those three. The third would also be knocked down if the self-storage facility is build. City land records show that Greenberg’s company purchased the property for $800,000 in 2018 from Paula and David Perrotti.

“There really is no viable use for this property under a BA zone,” Segaloff said. ​“But if we can do self-storage, it becomes a viable site.”

Segaloff read two letters of support of the use variance to the zoning commissioners.

One came from West Rock/West Hills Alder Honda Smith, who represents the area on the city legislature. ​“I believe it will be a great asset to our neighborhood and will serve as a positive opportunity to enhance the Westville/West Hills” area with a grand list-supporting development, rather than just a vacant lot. He also read a letter from Westville resident and retired former city police Officer David Hartman.

BZA Chair Mildred Melendez (pictured) praised the project before joining her colleagues in a unanimous vote of support.

“I am wholeheartedly for this project,” she said. ​“Any time there’s a vacant lot and we can make something of it, it’s great for the city, great for the neighborhood.”