Inland Wetlands Approves Road For Army Training Center

A 450-foot access road leading from Route 1 to the proposed site of the U.S. Army Reserve Training Center in Branford has been approved, and closing on the site is scheduled this week.

Al Secondino, one of the owners of the 86-acre Bittersweet Farm property, told the Eagle that the Army is scheduled to close on the 15-acre parcel Thursday. ​“We’re happy to see it happen,” he said. ​“The Army fell in love with this property.”

Secondino also said he hopes this initial project may lead to other development on the Bittersweet property and an adjacent 50 acres at 21 Sycamore Way, which is owned by Secondino and Michael Belfonti through their Alterra Holdings LLC. The combined properties stretch from Route 1 (East Main Street) southward toward East Industrial Road. ​“There’s starting to be interest in the property now, but I can’t reveal it yet.”

The Army training center, which would be built just past the town’s transfer station, would include administrative offices, a library, learning center, weapons simulator and physical fitness areas. There would be a separate maintenance shop and an unheated storage building. The center would serve about 300 reservists, mostly on weekends.

The Inland Wetlands (IW) Commission gave unanimous approval Thursday for the access road, which will be owned Bittersweet Partners LLC, a partnership between Secondino and Belfonti . The project engineer said the permission to build the access road was one of the last conditions that had to be met before the Army Corps of Engineers purchases the property where the training center will be built.

The Army submitted architectural and engineering plans for the project to Branford’s regulatory boards in 2012, even though federal projects do not require local zoning or wetland approvals. (Click here to read a recent story about the Army’s plans.

COSTCO? MOVING SLOWLY

In 2011, Secondino (in middle of photo) and engineer John Mancini (at right) outlined a master plan for the combined Bittersweet and Sycamore Way properties which would have included offices, residential areas and possibly a Costco store, but those plans were never submitted for formal approval. The properties have numerous wetland areas. Click here to read that story.

In recent months, initial plans were disclosed for building a Costco store at another location — on property owned by Secondino and Charles E. Weber Jr. that stretches from Route 1 to East Industrial Road, coupled with an adjacent parcel on Route 1 owned by Wayne Cooke. Click here to read that story. Those properties are located farther west than the Bittersweet site.

Secondino told the Eagle last week that plans are ​“moving along … slowly” for the possible Costco deal.

ROAD TO DEVELOPMENT

“We’ve been working with the Army for almost 18 months,” Mancini, of BL Companies in Meriden, told the IW commission. He said the access road is being built to state Department of Transportation (DOT) standards and that it ​“will meet or exceed” standards for town roads.

Mancini said the Bittersweet Partners hope to eventually obtain permission to extend the access road southward and connect to Sycamore Way. He said eventually the expanded road could be taken over by the town if further development is ever approved.

He said the proposed access road is similar to one that was approved years ago for previous owners CuraGen Corp., a biotech pharmaceutical development firm, whose project never materialized.

During Thursday’s Inland Wetland hearing, Mancini said this access road and the Army’s project ​“will allow the property owners a catalyst to develop other lots … and other open spaces to preserve.” 

Engineer Christopher Gagnon (pictured), of BL Companies, said the road is near wetlands but does not impinge on them. He discussed drainage and stormwater management issues, and answered questions from the commission.

John Rusatsky, acting IW chair, said he did not see any impact from the access road on the nearby wetlands.

IW member Richard Orson said the 450-foot access road ​“seems pretty straight-forward.” But he cautioned that approval does not indicate permission would be granted for any extension of the road through the remainder of the Bittersweet property.

The Army Reserve project is part of the Grow The Army program, and not part of the nationwide Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program. Site selection for the training center began in 2008. Branford was selected as the preferred site after about 80 other possibilities within a 50-mile radius of Bridgeport were eliminated.

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