Restaurant, Marina Proposed Near Madison/Guilford Town Lines

MADISON, CT - Madison officials are mulling over an application to construct a 1,684 sq. ft. one-story multi- use building, including a 20-seat restaurant, 2-bedroom apartment, marina office/storage area, covered outdoor storage area with deck above, paved driveway/parking area, winter boat storage area, site lighting, landscaping, and associated improvements near the Madison and Guilford town lines.

A boardwalk is proposed along the west side of the property, at 4 Boston Post Road, and the proposed docks/dock walkways and davit on the west side of the property were previously approved by Connecticut DEEP and Army Corps of Engineers.

The project has been discussed at recent meetings of the Economic Development Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission and public hearings are slated in January of 2020.

Applicant and property owner Michael Barnes, designer John Cunningham, and architect Matthew Williams would be a part of the presentation, according to engineer Joseph Wren.

It was explained that this application represents a redevelopment of structures and uses, including a restaurant, a residential unit, a marina, and in the 1800s a shipbuilding facility that spanned the privately owned site, up until the state Department of Transportation had to replace the bridge and move Route 1 in 1970. For the bridge reconstruction and the relocation of Route 1, the state of Connecticut took the privately owned property by eminent domain and destroyed all of the structures.

Barnes, of Yarde Realty Company, stated that for the past 14 years he has worked toward achieving approvals to redevelop the site to its previous uses, which also includes the ability to service the property with a septic system, since that, too, was a previously used system on site.

In 2016, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the federal Army Corps of Engineers approved a boardwalk proposed along the west side of the property, as well as the proposed docks/dock walkways and davit, which are also on the site’s west side.

A Special Exception Permit is being requested from the Planning and Zoning Commission to build a 1,684 square foot one-story multi-use building, including a 20-seat restaurant, two- bedroom apartment, marina office/storage area, covered outdoor storage area with deck above, a paved driveway/parking area, a winter boat storage area, site lighting, landscaping, and associated improvements.

The restaurant, two-bedroom apartment, and marina/storage area will be on the first floor of the building, and a covered, outdoor storage area, with a deck above, will be on the rear, south side, of the building. Plans include installing a paved driveway and parking area in the front, with a pea stone or crushed shell reserve parking and winter boat storage area in the rear, as well as dark sky compatible site lighting, landscaping, and other associated improvements.

The property will be served by a subsurface sewage disposal system (SSDS) and public water.

It was explained that the 20-seat restaurant could also become a retail establishment; the marina will have 45 slips and floating docks, and there will be 35 parking spaces, including accessible spaces, plus winter boat storage.

There will be an enclosed dumpster on the northeast corner of the reserve parking area.

Barnes stated that people are looking forward to seeing the marina built and are excited about the development. DEEP required that wetlands be restored on the site, and Wren stated that within the past five years, there has been some wetlands expansion; over 5,000 square feet of wetlands has been created on the east and west sides.

Presenters detailed all of the environmentally appropriate and protective measures that will be under taken, during the development, to promote the water dependent use that DEEP favors. In addition the Advisory Committee on Community Appearance (ACCA) reviewed the application and approved the designs. Most of the questions raised by the Planning and Zoning Commission and members of the public were addressed, however a concern was raised by a Jonathan’s Landing property owner who stated that those at Jonathan’s Landing who now have a clear river of the river, will not have that view, once the site is developed. However, it was explained that the docks have already been approved by DEEP and the Army Corps of Engineers and are not a part of the Planning and Zoning Special Exception Permit request.

Director of Planning and Economic Development David Anderson stated that the applicant has requested that the Planning and Zoning Commission send a letter of support to the Zoning Board of Appeals; he asked the commissioners to discuss whether they would like to submit such a letter.

Commissioner John Mathers stated that he was reluctant to do so, since the Planning and Zoning Commission has not completed the public hearing process, nor has it voted on whether to accept the application. Commissioner Joel Miller stated that he would like to hear all positions on the application vetted during the public process.

Anderson explained that sometimes the Zoning Board of Appeals questions how strongly the Planning and Zoning Commission feels about certain regulations. He stated that a letter could be written indicating the public hearing has not been completed and the commission has not voted on the application, but that the Planning and Zoning Commission would not be averse to seeing the Zoning Board of Appeals grant the variances being requested. In light of that information, commissioners seemed more inclined to send a letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Anderson stated that he will draft a letter and have the Planning and Zoning Commission chair to review it, before submission to the Zoning Board of Appeals.