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01/25/2016 08:56 AMWith a unanimous commission vote on Jan. 21, the former Atlantic Wire factory will disappear and mixed-use, transit oriented Atlantic Wharf will rise on the 7.6 acre Branford River site in about three years’ time.
Town Planner Harry Smith told Zip06 developer MetroStar (Milford) will hopefully start construction this spring on the multi-phase project, which will bring in 205 residential units and commercial spaces for restaurants, retail and offices. The complex will include ten three-story buildings, and underground parking garage and a new road.
MetroStar Developer Robert Smith Jr. has described the complex as one which will draw millennials and others seeking high end homes in a transit-oriented area. Atlantic Wharf’s location puts it within walking distance of bus lines and the town center as well as the Amtrak rail station currently under expansion.
Work is almost complete on the rail station’s “up and over” expansion with added access from Kirkham Street including pedestrian-friendly sidewalks. Smith said Amtrak is tracking toward completing the expansion in March or April of this year. The station is a pivotal part of what the town feels could become a vibrant, transit-oriented district.
“We’re very excited about it,” Smith said of Atlantic Wharf. “We’re hoping it’s the first of perhaps several developments oriented around the Branford train station.”
The Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) voted to approve the Atlantic Wharf site plan application following public hearings and input and changes crafted by the PZC. The commission had until Feb. 4 to make its decision. Over several months, the commission worked with MetroStar to hammer out final traffic issues, best align intersections, address parking concerns and re-arrange the location of one building to best suit the town’s needs.
MetroStar also worked with residents, particularly a faction of Wilford Avenue property owners, to address issues which could be brought by establishing a 30-plus unit residential building on a current empty lot on Meadow Street which backs up to Wilford Avenue.
Another issue recently brought by residents, concerning increased Church Street traffic based on the town’s plans to add a front driveway and additional Church Street entrance at the new Senior/Community Center set for Branford Community House, is being addressed by the group designing the Senior/Community Center. On Jan. 20, the Board of Selectman approved additional architectural and engineering expenses for the completion of Phase II of the project. At that meeting, First Selectman James B. Cosgrove commented on a question regarding the center’s proposed parking; saying it was sufficiently engineered; while adding that he understood residents had concerns with increased Church Street traffic brought by the combination of Atlantic Wharf and the new Senior/Community Center.
“The real issue there, from what I heard from residents and feedback from zoning, was a traffic study; which is going to be required as we go through our land use process anyway,” said Cosgrove.
Primary language changes to Atlantic Wharf site plan’s application included in the PZC’s final vote on Jan. 21 had to do with the development’s construction staging, or phases, said Smith. The project will be built in phases and begin with construction on the empty Meadow Street lot. Meanwhile, the Atlantic Wire Factory will be razed and the site prepared for the nine additional buildings, a new two-way road and an underground parking garage.
Smith said traffic on Meadow Street will be able to traverse the area in its current two-way pattern for approximately the first two years of construction. Once all of Atlantic Wharf is complete, a portion of Meadow Street (starting at its intersection with Montowese Street) will become a one-way street.
“Meadow Street is going to stay open as a two-way street well into the project; probably well into the second year, and the new road would be completely open to the public before the work to Meadow Street begins,” said Smith.
The new road will be constructed by MetroStar. From it’s intersection with Meadow Street and Church Street, it will lead the through the development on the former factory site on the side facing the Branford River and exiting at a four-way intersection Montowese Street and Pine Orchard Road.
Past stories on the Atlantic Wharf development, including renderings, site plan details and public hearing results are available at www.zip06.com