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The Planning and Zoning Commission gave the Giordano family the go-ahead for retail use of the Board of Education building, which is part of a proposed three-way building swap. The family says the project could lead to new retail and in-town residential development of the adjacent property they already own.
The P&Z last Thursday night also approved a 10-home open-space subdivision adjacent to the Beacon Hill Preserve. The developer, Shearwater Properties Inc., revised the plans to allow more usable open space after the proposal was rejected earlier this year.
In addition, the commission approved the construction of a new building at 253 East Main St., to replace a vacant automotive repair garage. The owners of Total Kitchens & Bath LLC at 350 Main St. in Branford want to relocate their business to the site.
Will There be a Swap?
The P&Z unanimously approved a request by the Giordano family to convert the BOE building on the corner of Main and Montowese streets to retail and office use.
“I’m thrilled. Hopefully this will set the mood for the swap process to go through,” Vincent Giordano Jr. told the Eagle following the meeting. “This could be incredibly beneficial to the retail district and the Town Center.”
Giordano said acquisition of the BOE building could be the trigger for another project that the family has been considering. “The family’s long-term vision is to extend the Town Center throughout our property.”
The Giordano family owns the Branford Building Supplies store and lumber company, which sits on 1.54 acres adjacent to the BOE site. Giordano said if the lumber business at 1155 Main St. relocates, the area could be converted to retail and in-town residential use. “It could give rise to more vibrancy in town,” he told the Eagle.
During a P&Z public hearing last month, Giordano outlined the family’s proposal for renovating the BOE building for retail use. The approval by the commission is not specifically tied to the building swap, but the trade could not occur if the change-of-use request was denied.
“It’s kind of moot if the swap doesn’t happen,” Giordano said , “unless some other arrangements could be made.”
The BOE building is currently owned by the town and is one domino in a three-way swap that would move the BOE offices to the Canoe Brook Senior Center on Cherry Hill Road. The senior programs that are squeezed into the Canoe Brook site would move to an office building at 175 N. Main St. which is owned by the Giordano family’s Queach Corp. The Giordano’s would swap the North Main Street building for the BOE building at 1111 Main St.
“If the Giordano plans were not feasible, then nothing could have proceeded,” said First Selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos during an interview with the Eagle. “Now our end seems to be the hold-up at this point.”
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Proposed Canoe Brook Senior Center.
Plans for moving the senior center have met some opposition since they were announced by DaRos in June. He said the Main Street building could be renovated to become “a first-class senior center,” without the expense of new construction. “We want to put our money into great things for the center, and not worry about the bricks and mortar,” DaRos said.
During the P&Z meeting, assistant town planner Richard Stoecker gave a favorable report in regard to the Giordano proposal for the BOE building. “I think the plan, especially with retail, is good for the Town Center,” he said.
Beacon Hill Estates
Susan Doing, a Branford resident and principal in Shearwater Properties Inc., received approval to build 10 homes on 10 acres of land at 83 Rose Hill Road, in the Branford Hills section of town. The property, which was previously used as a chicken farm and slaughterhouse, is adjacent to the Beacon Hill Preserve.
During a public hearing in March, local environmentalists objected to the project, saying the open space being offered was of little value and the development could impinge on the ridgeline. The 70-acre Beacon Hill Preserve, which is owned jointly by the town and the state, is part of the Metacomet Ridge that stretches from Connecticut through Massachusetts.
The P&Z raised similar concerns about the open space when they denied the project in May. However, the commissioners encouraged the developer to revise the plans according to the suggestions made.
At a second public hearing, which was held Oct. 7, the developer’s attorney, David Gibson, told how the revised plans reflect the changes suggested by the commission and other town boards.
“We took your advice and went back to the drawing board,” Gibson told the commission. The homes were shifted away from the Beacon Hill Preserve and a larger area of open space was designed adjacent to the preserve. In addition, a retaining wall was removed.
The only member of the public who spoke at hearing earlier this month was local environmentalist Bill Horne.
Speaking on behalf of the Select Committee on Open Space Acquisition, Horne said: “On the whole, we acknowledge there is definitely better open space than the original one,” but he said the group still fears an adverse impact on the ridge.
Speaking on his own behalf, Horne expressed concern about how the development will affect the ridge, not just the ridgeline top. “The resource is really the whole ridge,” he said.
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New Plans at left.
Gibson said the project is an improvement over the vacant and blighted area that currently exists. The new plans call for about 2 acres of open space adjacent to the preserve.
“We believe the conceptual plan meets all the requirements for an open space subdivision,” Gibson said as he talked about the criteria. He said the development was not close enough to the ridgeline to fall under state guidelines for a protected area.
“I believe the developer has done everything feasible to stay away from the ridgeline,” Gibson said.
Town engineer Janice Plaziak said the developer still needs approval for construction of a pump station to handle sewage at the site. She said talks were ongoing with the developer about extending the sewer line so that other homes in the area could hook up to the system. In addition, final development plans must be submitted to the P&Z.
Stoecker, the assistant town planner, said the new designs were an improvement. “It shows collaboration with everyone.”
P&Z chair Ellsworth McGuigan agreed. “It represents a lot of work between the developer, staff and the town. I think it ended up with a project we can all be proud of,” McGuigan said.
New Home For Total Kitchens & Bath
Another project approved Thursday was the construction of a new building to house Total Kitchens & Bath LLC. Owner David Onofrio asked the P&Z for permission to demolish a vacant automotive garage at 253 East Main St. and construct a two-story building in its place.
Onofrio’s business has been located in a Victorian house at 350 Main St. for eight years, but there was no room for expansion there. “We kind of outgrew it,” he told the commission. The business would be located on the first floor of the new building and three apartments would be constructed on the second floor.
The site previously housed Swedish Performance automotive before it relocated to a larger parcel further east on Route 1.
“It’s a good use of the site,” Stoecker said in his staff report. No one spoke in opposition to the plan during a public hearing which preceded the vote.
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