Van Wilgen’s Proposes Shop at Site of Former Cashman’s Hardware
The Clinton Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC) will review an application for a Van Wilgen’s Garden Center and Greenhouse to be built at the former Cashman’s Hardware store location at 58 West Main Street. The commission is set to formally receive the application at its Monday, Dec. 14 meeting.
The commission is expected to accept the application then schedule a public hearing at which more information may be provided and the public can speak on or against the proposal.
The site of the proposed development is the former location of Cashman’s Hardware store located at intersection of Grove Street and West Main Street. The building has sat vacant for more than five years and has been the source of rumors on and off about possible redevelopment.
“The building has been vacant for a while,” said Zoning Enforcement Officer Kathy King. “It was purchased, and the new owner was going to make it into a restaurant. Then, the building went up for sale, and now we have this new application for Van Wilgen’s.”
Jeff Cashman, the former owner of the site, is an alternate member of the PZC.
The application for the garden center proposes remodeling the existing 2,400-square-foot store and building a new 46- by 60-foot (2,760 total square foot) greenhouse on the property. The application states the proposed business hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The application also proposes installing a new septic system and restructuring the parking lot.
The official applicant listed on the application is Van Wilgen’s Garden Center, Inc. Van Wilgen’s is a popular garden center with a main location in North Branford and other locations in Guilford, Milford, and Old Saybrook. The agent on the application is Crisucolo Engineering.
“We’re excited to be in another shoreline town,” Ryan Van Wilgen told Harbor News/Zip06.com.
Clinton location will likely be more expansive than the old Saybrook market, and will hopefully have a heated green house unlike some of the other locations. Van Wilgen said the store will likely be open from around March/April through the holidays then close for the winter. He anticipates selling some indoor plants and pottery in the indoor section.
Possible redevelopment along Clinton’s Route One corridor will be seen as a welcome sign for many in town. For years, townsfolk and politicians alike have called for efforts to spruce up the parts of town that are bisected by Route One. Those efforts have slowly been starting pay off with further development across the town in recent years such as the new CVS site, a beautification project being undertaken via a grant from the state, and recent proposals like the current one from Van Wilgen’s or one that was approved last year by the PZC to build a mini golf course on a plot of vacant land near the Madison border.
The development of the corridor is seen by proponents as a way to make the town more attractive to visitors and potential residents as well as new businesses.
The agenda for the PZC meeting on Dec. 14 suggests the commission will receive the application then table it until Monday, Jan. 11, at which time comment from the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection can be made available.