Engineer John Schmitz
A retail project on a vacant 14-acre site along Route 1 was unanimously approved by the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) last week. Plans call for two retail buildings, but the names have not been made public. Apparently there is no town requirement to do so.
The property is located at 250 N. Main St., 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 IWC approved Phase I of the project in January, 2015, which created an access road and central driveway. Click here to read the story.
The proposal approved last Thursday was Phase 2 of the project, which is different than the Phase 2 that was introduced along with Phase 1 in 2014. The commission at that time decided to approve only Phase 1, but stated that Phase 2 could be resubmitted.
The IWC hearings for Phase 2 of the project began in September. Click here to read the story. Plans call for a 62,426 square-foot building with 262 parking spaces; and a second building that would be 13,200 square feet and have 53 parking spaces. Moved this graf up to this section. By way of comparison the square footage of a Stop & Shop superstore may range from between 45,000 square feet and 80,000 square feet; and the Costco proposed for Exit 56 in Branford would have been 158,000 square feet.
Following the vote last week, John Schmitz, an engineer with BL Companies of Meridan, (top photo) told the Eagle that this is the first step in the approval process. “We’re moving forward,” he said.
P&Z is Next
Schmitz said he hopes to submit site plans to the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission in a few weeks. Permits will also be needed from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Efforts have been ongoing for several years to develop the property, which contains wetlands and rocky outcroppings. It is visible from I-95 North. Costco looked at the site in 2003, and the town once considered it as a location for the Public Works building, which is still in a rental facility.
Jeff Shapiro and family, who operate the Cedar Island Marina in Clinton, have owned the property since 1997. Before the Shapiro family purchased the site, the land had been extensively mined for gravel.
Wetlands Issue
The project includes filling in a central wetland, and a smaller wetland where the sewer line will be installed. A third area of wetland impact could occur if the state DOT requests that Route 1 be widened at the entrance so a traffic light could be installed.
The development team has stated that all wetlands that are impacted will be mitigated at more than the 2 to 1 ratio required by the IWC. That means the developers must restore affected wetlands or create new ones in another location on the site.
Independent consultants were chosen by the IWC to review the plans, with the costs paid by the developer. Peer reviewers Robert Wheway, an engineer with Codespoti & Associates of Orange, discussed the stormwater management plan; and Matthew J. Popp, a wetland specialist from Environmental Land Solutions LLC of Norwalk, reviewed wetland mitigation plans.
The public hearing closed in December, and the commission began deliberations. IWC regulations require the consideration of “prudent and feasible alternatives,” and those were discussed at length during the hearing and the deliberations.
The developers presented alternatives to filling the central wetland but said that would be feasible but not prudent. During the deliberations, the commission agreed that the alternatives would not be prudent.
The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the project, with conditions, after reviewing a resolution that had been previously drafted.
Those voting Thursday were: IWC chair Peter Bassermann, Suzanne Botta, James Goggin, Richard Greenalch, James Sette, and Sandra Kraus, who is an alternate. Two commissioners were absent — Mark June-Wells, and Eric Rose. Rick Ross, an alternate, was also absent.
###
