Sam Stricker Photo
New Diner Location
A new location for the Branford Townhouse Diner was quickly approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission last week, but a long-debated proposal to build 10 homes near the Beacon Hill Preserve was denied. During the three-hour session, the P&Z also approved a “state-of-the-art” convenience store and gas station on East Main Street, and gave final approval for renovations at Brushy Hill Plaza.
The popular Townhouse Diner at 91 N. Main St. closed its doors unexpectedly March 21, after serving the public for 20 years. The diner was located in a plaza which is undergoing a major renovation. Restaurant owners Bill and Jimmy Groumousas and their brother-in-law Andreas Gotsis did not renew the lease and began looking for another location.
Word of their successful search was announced at the P&Z meeting.
“We found a great site,” said attorney Brian Enright, who represents the restaurant owners. He told the town planners that the diner hopes to open at 18 N. Main St., about a mile from the original location. The site, adjacent to Starbucks on Route 1, previously housed a used car dealership called Drive XPress. “Our plan is to use the existing structure,” he said.
Following the meeting, Enright said the owners hope to begin interior renovations soon and open in September.
Engineer John Schmitz of BL Company, shown in photo, outlined changes to the exterior of the property, the parking lot and landscaping.
“It looks super and they’ve done everything right,” said Town Planner Shirley Rasmussen as she reviewed the diner’s plans. “They paid good attention to detail.”
The site plan was unanimously approved after about 15 minutes of presentation and discussion.
Beacon Hills Denied
It took about an hour for deliberations to conclude on the Beacon Hill Estates project, which has been under discussion for several months. The project was approved by the Inland Wetlands Commission last fall.
Developer Susan Doing, a Branford realtor, wants to build 10 homes on 10 acres of property at 83 Rose Hill Road, adjacent to the 90-acre Beacon Hill Preserve. The open space residential subdivision would include two areas of wetlands that would be restored and designated as open space.
Rasmussen said the main issue was the northern wetland. “Nobody will accept it as open space,” she said as the proposal went down to defeat.
“I’d rather see them come back with a new project that takes into account some of the things we talked about tonight,” said P&Z commissioner David Perkins.
Contacted after the meeting, Attorney David Gibson, who represents the developer, said they were “disappointed in the decision.” He said they will be reading the P&Z resolution before making any decisions. “The developer will consider all the options available,” Gibson said.
During the March public hearing, several environmental groups opposed the project, including the Conservation and Environmental Commission, the Select Committee on Open Space Acquisition, and the Parks and Open Space Authority. The groups recommended that the town not accept responsibility for the proposed open spaces.
“It strikes me as odd you would have an open space subdivision with open space that nobody wants,” Rasmussen said during last week’s meeting.
She said the southern wetland area, which is adjacent to the Beacon Hill Preserve, would be appropriate but the northern area does not meet criteria for an open space residential subdivision. According to regulations on the P&Z Website, the open spaces must meet one of four criteria: to preserve natural beauty, to provide a park for recreation, to conserve natural resources, or to protect streams or rivers.
P&Z commissioner Charles Andres asked if the northern area is degraded and undesirable. He also asked if it’s “duplicitous” to say it’s important to protect wetlands and then say it’s not valuable as open space.
Rasmussen referred to a seven-page letter opposing the project from the Select Committee on Open Space Acquisition, which was presented during the March hearing.
“The type of open space is just not valuable enough” as a resource, Rasmussen said. “It doesn’t meet the purposes as outlined.”
She said the Beacon Hill site is a difficult one to develop. “We’re trying to get to a little bit better layout…That open space is so useless,” said Rasmussen. She said there are other options for developing the area. “There are a lot of possibilities that would make it a much better subdivision.”
Town Engineer Janice Plaziak read from the minutes of the Inland Wetlands Commission, which stated that the developer plans to improve and restore both the northern and southern wetlands.
Because of deadline constrictions, the P&Z commissioners were required to take a vote at last Thursday’s meeting.
Other Business
In other business, the P&Z held a public hearing on a site plan from Cumberland Farms Inc. in regard to the former Thornton Gas Station at 227 E. Main St., next to the Millpond Veterinary Hospital. The company purchased the station in late December and plans to convert it to a Gulf Station and a larger convenience store.
John Marth, planning project leader for Cumberland-Gulf Group, said a new convenience store will be built and the number of fueling dispensers will be decreased to three instead of the current five. The site will have new landscaping, and sidewalks will be added along Route 1.
Marth said the station will be closed for construction, but will re-open for 24-hour-a-day service. He said the convenience store will be modern and upscale in design and will be “more attractive than what’s there now.”
There were no public comments during the hearing.
“It’s seems to be a good state-of-the-art gas station,” said Richard Stoecker, assistant town planner. “It’s a definite improvement to what’s there.”
The site plans were unanimously approved.
The commission also approved final plans for renovations at Brushy Hill Plaza, a project proposed by developer Alex Vigliotti, which has been under discussion for several months.
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