P&Z Raises Questions about Proposed Housing Development

The Giordano family, who own Branford Building Supplies Inc., is considering the possibility of creating a residential Planned Development District (PDD) off Ark Road near the town-owned Tabor property.

The tentative proposal calls for 14 single-family homes on the site, which is off Ark Road at the end of Buckley Road, which is a private road.
The proposed PDD would include 9.46 acres, but only about 5.8 acres would be used for development because of tidal wetlands and other issues.

Attorney James Perito of Branford (see top photo), who represents the prospective developers, made an informal presentation last week before the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission. Developers are permitted to seek non-binding feedback from the commission before submitting any formal applications.

The applicant is Montowese Development Group LLC, whose principal members are Vincent S. Giordano III, and Sarah Giordano, children of brothers Michael and Vincent Giordano Jr. who head Branford Building Supplies at 1145 Main St.

“So we thought we’d come and show you our concept and answer any questions, and get a sense of whether you think this is something that the commission …would look at as a way to facilitate a residential development that fits the neighborhood,” Perito said.

The commissioners and the town planner expressed concerns about the number of houses and flooding issues in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The Concept

Perito said the Giordanos have been looking for ways to develop the residential property for a number of years. ​“It has a couple of unique features,” he told the commission. He said about 1/3 of the property is tidal wetlands, and that the access strip to the area does not meet road-width standards required by subdivision regulations.

“To do any kind of a standard subdivision here, you could not have a town-acceptable road going out that way, it would always have to be a private road,” Perito said.

“One of the main things that we’re trying to accomplish is to keep away from the tidal wetlands,” Perito said. He said the designs adhere to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) standards which require a 100-foot buffer around tidal wetlands.

Perito said the PDD association would maintain the property, landscaping and the private roadway.

David Sacco, an engineer with TPA Design Group in New Haven, said the property is currently zoned R3 residential, and there are 5.8 acres of usable property out of the total 9.46 acres. He said the proposed home nearest the tidal wetlands would be 123 feet away.

Sacco said the goal is to have a reasonable number of houses based on the underlying zoning, while respecting the wetlands buffer and nearby properties.

Pros and Cons

Town Planner Harry Smith pointed out pros and cons of the proposal in his staff report.

“It has too many units and they’re too close together,” Smith said Thursday night. ​“So what that magic number (of units) is, I don’t know.”

He said the proposed housing site would be elevated above the FEMA 100-year floodplain, but that neighborhood roads are subject to flooding during storms. ​“There’s already a lot of development here,” he said.

Smith displayed a map showing FEMA flood zones in red; and tidal wetlands in purple. ​“This does not account for sea level rise,” he said in regard to the current map.

On the plus side, Smith said the homes appear to be suited to the market demands of millennials and retiring baby boomers. He also said the plans adhere to current DEEP requirements regarding tidal wetland buffers of 100 feet.

The area comes under DEEP jurisdiction because of the tidal wetlands.

Commissioner John Lust said flood plains have become ​“very sensitive issues” and there seems to be too many houses in the proposal.

Chuck Andres, who chairs the commission, asked how the PDD would be beneficial.

Perito said it would add single family homes to the community.

Commissioner Joe Chadwick said he was concerned about Ark Road flooding and also the number and closeness of the proposed homes.

Following the informal discussion, Perito thanked the town planner and commissioners for their feedback, and said that the development team will discuss the issues before making further plans.

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