Printer Friendly Version - Costco Hearing Continued to Feb. 11

The slide shown at last night's public hearing by Costco shows the scale and location of the largest building, a proposed158,000 square-foot wholesale club, to be constructed during the first phase of a two-phase development. The Costco building fronts East Main Street (across from Hilltop Orchards). Pam Johnson/The Sound

A long first night of information supplied by applicant Costco Wholesale will be followed by a second night where the public will likely get its first chance to give input on the Inland Wetlands site plan for Costco in Branford.

The hearing at Branford Fireheadquarters was packed with a standing-room only crowd last night, but as Inland Wetlands Agency (IWA) chair Dan Shapiro explained, procedure called for the applicant to introduce its three separate applications, and scientific findings and development plans for each, before the public input of the hearing would take place. At the opening of the hearing at 7:30 p.m. Shapiro estimated the process would take about two hours; but it took a bit more than that. The hearing's first part ended at about 10:30 p.m. with the IWA voting to continue it to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 with the fire house expected be the location, based on availability.

At the opening of the hearing, new IWA commissioner Richard Greenalch recused himself from the board, saying that while he was acting as an alternate that night he did not want to create a potential future conflict of interest as an IWA member involved in reviewing, and possibly voting, on the Costco applications.

In a statement to the IWA, Greenalch said his employment with Munger Construction was the issue, noting that while the company would not likely be involved in construction of the 158,000 square foot Costco Wholesale store during what is termed Phase One of the two phase development plan, the company could become involved in future construction work at the site's two other application properties, designated as 529 East Main and 29 East Main Streets.

Greenalch said "some concerns that I might not be impartial in considering these applications" had come to his attention, bringing about his decision to recuse himself, adding he wanted the IWA process to take place "...beyond any possible question of impropriety."

Costco's application discussion last night was laden with renderings, property maps and breakouts of inland wetlands and watercourse, both natural and man-made, tracked over development at the 45 acre site from the late 1930's through to present day.

The next part of the public hearing will likely begin with input from peer review of Costco's scientific analysis of the properties, discussed by the applicant at length on Jan. 14, said Inlands Wetlands Director Diana Ross.

"The peer review team will complete the peer review by end of next week; then it will go to applicant so they can work on responding to peer review, and (Costco) should submit a response to the peer review five days before the meeting," Ross explained today. "At the next meeting, that information will be probably be discussed similarly to the way the (application) was discussed this time," meaning the information would open the second part of the hearing on Feb. 11.

The IWA didn't go into detailed questioning of the applicant following the end of Costco's application information supplied last night. The public was invited to speak at that point, but no one came forward; in fact, "most of the people had left by then," Ross said.

At the next hearing, public input will likely come in to play, with some of the expected players to be spokespersons for two groups which have intervenor status: Branford Land Trust and grassroots Branford Citizens for Responsible Development.