With Permission
New Vision For BOE Building
The Board of Education building, with its prime corner location across from the Town Green, could become a retail venue if plans by the Giordano family materialize.
It’s a big IF.
The family’s proposal has received favorable reaction from town regulatory boards, but the future of the high-profile corner building depends on the fate of Branford’s three-way building swap.
In order for the swap to work, the BOE would move to the Canoe Brook Senior Center on Cherry Hill Road, and the senior programs would move to an office building at 175 N. Main St. 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.
The swap, which was approved by the Board of Selectmen in June, has met with some criticism and is currently being reviewed by the Representative Town Meeting.
If all the dominoes fall into place, the Giordanos would own the building at 1111 Main St., which is adjacent to the family’s Branford Building Supply Company, and another nearby family-owned building that bookends the corner BOE building. It is located at 221 Montowese St.
Diana Stricker Photo
Vincent Giordano Jr.
Vincent Giordano Jr. outlined the proposal for 1111 Main St. during a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday.
“It’s important to us that we increase the vitality of the building,” said Giordano, who along with his brother Michael are the top officials in the Giordano Construction Co., Branford Building Supply and the Queach Corp.
“We’re delighted with the reception we received from the Center Revitalization Review Board and from Planning and Zoning,” Giordano told the Eagle after the meeting. He said several retailers have already contacted him about the building.
Although the P&Z won’t make a decision on Giordano’s request until October, commission members indicated their support for the project. Ellsworth McGuigan, who chairs the P&Z, said there didn’t seem to be much opposition. “Aesthetically, it will be a pretty building when you get that retaining wall down,” McGuigan said.
“To me it’s a nice concept,” said P&Z member Joe Vaiuso.
The family initially asked P&Z to change the designated use of the building from government status to office and professional. But the family recently amended their plans to include a request for a retail and commercial designation.
Giordano said the restoration of the exterior of the BOE building, and the renovation of the interior will make it a perfect site for retail ventures.
“We feel it’s a blending and integration with the Town Center” in both use and appearance, Giordano said.
Assistant Town Planner Richard Stoecker said he likes the idea of having retail at the site. “It is a permitted use,” he said. “And it meets current zoning standards.”
Architect John Matthews said plans call for excavating at the southern and eastern sides of the building to expose the lower level of the building, which has windows that are currently not visible from the street.
“This will make the building much more viable and attractive,” Matthews said, adding that the renovations will give the building “a new life.”
Plans also call for reducing the height of an existing retaining wall, adding new landscaping, and improving the parking lot.
“We think it’s an excellent re-use of an existing building,” Matthews said. “We’re going to make this an exciting contribution to the Town Center.”
McGuigan said he was concerned that they would be doubling the usable space of the building by using the basement area, but were not adding any new parking.
“It would not be a true doubling of usable space,” Giordano said, because some of the basement would continue to be used for utilities.
Project engineers said the parking lot will be reconfigured to add handicapped spaces, and that parking in the adjacent Branford Building Supplies lot can be shared.
Giordano said the family made a commitment to the town to allow public access to the parking lot, especially in hours when the retail businesses would be closed. “We are going to leave the parking lot available for evening use,” Giordano said, so patrons can use it to frequent nearby restaurants.
Stoecker, who sat in on Center Revitalization Review Board discussion, said the board’s response was very favorable and they gave the plans a thumbs-up.
The P&Z did approve a separate request from the Queach Corp. regarding the nearby building they own at 221 Montowese St. Plans call for renovating the interior for office space and adding a 130 square-foot addition.
Giordano said the building will house offices for three of the family’s companies: construction management, real estate, and property management.
The site was previously used as a hair salon.
“It’s basically a pretty straight-forward application,” Stoecker said. I don’t see any problem”
The request was unanimously approved.
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