Concerns about increased Church Street traffic  -- including more vehicles frequenting the future Senior/Community Center -- have been raised just as Branford's Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) is poised to decide on whether to approve Atlantic Wharf in the town center.

Atlantic Wharf's proposed mixed-use development with ten buildings includes 205 upscale residences and premium commercial retail, office and restaurant space at the former Atlantic Wire factory property. The application's public hearing opened in November and was closed on Jan. 7. The PZC's deciding vote is set to come at its Feb. 4 meeting.

The PZC officially the closed the application's public hearing after taking in final responses from Atlantic Wharf's development team, Metro Star (Milford) and input from three residents with ties to Wilford Avenue (located one block from the development's Meadow Street side).

Resident David Minicozzi asked about traffic patterns on Church Street, once Atlantic Wharf traffic combines with anticipated traffic created by the new Senior Center/Community House planned for Church Street. Wilford Avenue intersects with Church Street across from a newly proposed Senior Center/Community House driveway entrance. 

At the earlier request of the PZC, Atlantic Wharf's application includes a straightened Church Street intersection with Meadow Street. It becomes a four-way intersection when connected to new road that's also part of the plan. The new road traverses one edge of Atlantic Wharf (facing Branford River) and creates a second four-way intersection at its other end, aligning with the intersections of South Montowese Street and Pine Orchard Road.

"I just want to talk about the 800-pound gorilla in the room that nobody's talking about, and that's the new Community House that's going to be built," said Minicozzi. "I don't know the impact that's going to have in combination with Atlantic Wharf. It's not being talked about, (but) I'd like you all to keep in mind there's a lot of things going on that end of Church Street. It's going to be like a mini-city down there; and I just haven't heard adequate solutions as to how the traffic pattern's going to be dealt with coming down Church Street."

The Senior/Community Center project has yet to reach the site plan application stage. However, as previously reported at Zip06 (http://www.zip06.com/news/20151025/x2018community-conceptx2019-seniorcommunity-center-plan%20), renderings presented by Farmington architects Quisenberry Arcari in Oct. 2015 call for a new, covered main entrance and driveway on the Church Street side. It also calls for a second Church Street entrance on the building's southern corner (nearest Meadow Street) to access building-side handicapped parking, as well as the main parking lot behind the building. The rear lot's main entrance/exit would be on Prospect Street, across from Sliney school. 

In response to Minicozzi's request, PZC chair Chuck Andres said of Metro Star, "On the one hand, I think this applicant is this applicant; and they're not responsible."

Andres also sought the opinion of Milone & MacBroom (Cheshire) traffic consultant David Sullivan, hired by the PZC to conduct a peer review of Metro Star's Atlantic Wharf traffic study.

"The short answer is it's not included in the study, and shouldn't have been," said Sullivan, adding, " ...typically, the way these things work; it's almost like who gets there first." 

Sullivan said the Atlantic Wharf development would create "...a magnitude of a car a minute or so added. (So) the way (Church Street) fuctions today is pretty much the way it functions after this development is built."  

With regard to traffic that from the new Senior/Community Center project, Sullivan said what he could recall about the plan didn't include more Church Street use, but suggested,"...if something happened so the Church Street façade became an active facade, that's where it would have the most direct impact."

Wilford Road resident Robert Costanzo asked for better clarification of Metro Star's traffic study showing Atlantic Wharf adds 4,000 cars per day to local traffic.

"What kind of increase is that to what's here today? Are there 1,000 trips to the area now and (there will be) 4,000; or is it 8,000 (now) and only a 50 percent increase?" asked Costanza.

Metro Star's traffic expert, Steve Ulman (Alfred Benesch & Co., Glastonbury) responded there is no "apples to apples" answer due to "co-generation" trips; meaning vehicles already passing through may dip in for a stop at Atlantic Wharf. Those vehicles aren't "added" traffic created by the development, Ulman said. He also provided some peak hour traffic numbers generated currently, including: 10,200 vehicles on South Montowese north of Meadow Street; 9,000 vehicles on Pine Orchard Road to east of South  Montowese, and 5,800 vehicles on Montowese to south of Pine Orchard Road.

Wilford Road resident Maureen Gercken asked the PZC to strongly consider ways to mitigate lighting, better landscaping and improve other impacts of the development, including its effect on local traffic.

Currently, the PZC's review of Metro Star's application, including final resolution language, is underway. A vote to approve or deny Atlantic Wharf's site plan is due on Feb. 4 at the PZC meeting, which opens at 7 p.m. at Canoe Brook Senior Center.