This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
02/17/2017 08:32 AMIn a brief note received at Branford Town Hall on Monday, February 13, Costco informed First Selectman James B. Cosgrove it won't resubmit an application to build a 158,000 square-foot Costco and 16-pump gas station at 569 East Main St.
Saying the news was "...a bit of a surprise; a bit of a disappointment," Cosgrove said he will continue to encourage the company to consider Branford.
The note, addressed to Cosgrove and signed by Dave Messner, Costco Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Development, reads, in its entirety, "Although Costco has made the business decision not to move forward with the proposed location on the Cooke property in Branford, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and your administration for your cooperation in our efforts to bring Costco to the community. We appreciate your leadership and willingess to work with us."
Cosgrove said he met with some town staff after receiving the letter from Costco on Feb. 13 and then brought the letter to the public meeting of the Economic Development Commission (EDC) on Feb. 15 for discussion.
On April 26, 2016, Costco withdrew its original application, just two days before a decision was set to come down from Branford Inland Wetlands Agency (IWA), following four months of contentious review. Costco's IWA application had been the next step following Branford Planning and Zoning Commission's (PZC) July, 2015 approval of Costco's application for a Planned Development District (PDD).
The PDD sought to develop the property, located off I-95 at Exit 56 and owned by members of the Cooke family, as Phase One. Phase Two would develop seven additional retail/commercial buildings, with occupants to be determined, on two contiguous parcels owned by other entities.
The April 26, 2016 decision to withdrawn the inlands wetlands application was delivered by Costco attorney Tom Cody of Robinson & Cole (Hartford). At the heart of the matter was Costco's objections to the changes to a final peer review (dated March 9, 2016) overseen by an outside engineering firm, Milone & MacBroom Inc. (MMI) with input from the IWA chairman at the time, Dan Shapiro. In response to Costco's objections, MMI sent the town a letter April 13, 2016 noting it stood beside its work and conduct as acceptable practice. The final peer review would have been included in the IWA's pending decision set for April 28, 2016.
At the time of Costco's 2016 application withdrawal, Cosgrove noted that Costco had successfully worked with Branford Land Trust (BLT), an intervenor in the 2016 application, to address concerns about impacts of some 900 acres of protected wetlands in the area.
Also at the time, Cosgrove said he would remain "committed to bringing Costco to Branford," stating, "...as we embark on a variety of major investments to improve the quality of life in our town, we need corporate citizens who can significantly and responsibly expand our tax base. Costco's proposed development at Exit 56 is a key to that expansion." See the full story here
"It was an effort to show that we were still interested and wanted to encourage them to come back," said Cosgrove, speaking with Zip06/The Sound this week, on Feb. 16. "We welcome business and my administration felt strongly that this was still a good project for the town, and remained supportive of them coming to the town. That's what I tried to convey to Costco."
Cosgrove said since then he has been, "...asking, wondering when they were going to submit and waiting." He felt the reason for the letter received on Feb. 13 was Costco's decision to "put something definitive" in writing regarding his inquires.
"A number of people would ask, since they withdrew, about the Costco application," said Cosgrove. "And as I've always stated, I remained optimistic they were going to come back and re-apply. So it was disappointing when I received the letter a couple of days ago. It was a bit of a surprise; a bit of a disappointment."
Cosgrove said he still feels it is a "good project" for Branford, "for a number of reasons."
"We often talk about the tax benefit and growing the tax base," he said. "A large part of why I ran is to sustain the level of services that we have here in Branford, and the quality of life, and one of the main components to ensure that we are able to sustain services is to grow the tax base. So certainly, there is that end of the project. Certainly with this Costco project I felt that it allowed for convenience for the residents of the town and also job opportunities. So I thought there were benefits there."
While Costco has decided against pursuing development at 569 East Main Street, Cosgrove remains confident Branford is the right town for Costco.
"Certainly that decision lies with the developer, with Costco," said Cosgrove. "I still feel that Branford is a community and location where we have the land and infrastructure to support Costco. I certainly would think Branford would not only benefit; I think we are a good location for it. I hope that they remain interested in Branford. I think it was obvious there was a strong majority of people that did support the project."