Excited about having a Costco in Branford? Concerned about its impact? Branford's Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) wants to hear from you.

Written correspondence is being accepted now as part of the PZC's planned April 2 Public Hearing on the proposal. The PZC has set aside the Branford High School (BHS) auditorium for the Thurs. April 2 public hearing, which starts at 7 p.m.

Costco’s master conceptual plan for a Branford site incorporates changes to five land parcels (44.68 acres) between East Main Street (Route 1), East Industrial Drive and Leetes Island Road. The site’s accessibility from I-95 Exit 56 (southbound) would include a new access road constructed between Hal Brown Co. (16 East Industrial Drive) and Connecticut Shellfish Co. (26 East Industrial Drive). Phase One of development would create a Costco warehouse sales club retail facility and accessory gas station (total floor area for both buildings: 158,070 square feet),

The April 2 PZC hearing will be the first time Costco's Planned Development District (PDD) application will be aired publicly. The application, submitted Feb. 18, continues to be available for review at Town Hall. In addition to input gathered at BHS, written correspondence submitted to the PZC for the April 2 hearing will be also taken into consideration (see the PZC Public Hearing notice posted with this story for details).

As previously reported at Zip06, Costco’s PDD application has been submitted on behalf of three groups: Costco Wholesale Corp. (Sterling, VA); 595 Corporate Circle (Branford) and Orchard Hill Partners (Branford).

The PDD already has the consent and endorsement of each of the five property owners making up the largely undeveloped Branford acreage. About 22 acres, at 616 East Main St., belong to resident Wayne Cooke (owner is listed as NF + W Cooke Limited Partnership, Cooke/Harrison Family Partnership). Cooke recently settled with the Town of Branford on two 2012 law suits brought by Cooke, involving disputed actions taken regarding taxation of land including 616 East Main St. (see related story at http://bit.ly/1FuDXrE).

The Costco warehouse sales club retail facility and accessory gas station, as proposed, would be built on the 22-acre Cooke parcel. Later phases of development at the site call for building additional retail and/or restaurants on about 17 acres of remaining land.

Branford PZC will hold the Costco PDD Public Hearing Thurs. April 2, 7 p.m. at Branford High School, 185 East Main St. Written correspondence received before the close of the hearing will be made part of the record and may be sent to: Branford PZC, P.O. Box 150 Branford CT 06405; faxed to (203) 315-2188; delivered to the Planning and Zoning Office at Town Hall, 1019 Main St. or emailed c/o Acting Town Planner Rich Stoecker at rstoecker@branford-ct.gov