This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
02/04/2020 03:15 PMIf the applications for the redevelopment of the old Morgan School and the former Unilever headquarters are approved and built as currently proposed, that will bring more visitors to Clinton—and present new challenges for Clinton’s emergency services. The Harbor News reached out to the chiefs of the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department and Police Department to gauge what concerns they may hold about the developments from a public safety standpoint.
The pending proposal for the old Morgan School calls for it to be converted to Indian River Landing, a mixed-use development consisting of retail, restaurants, a large grocery store, a hotel, and walking trails. Meanwhile the Unilever property, as currently proposed, would host a brewery and restaurant, a sports facility, and condominiums.
Developers are required to get their plans reviewed by the police and fire departments in town.
“We are part of the formal plan review process for all of these projects and remain involved until completion. As long as they meet applicable code and regulation, the projects will move forward from our perspective,” said Fire Chief Brian Manware.
“These new complexes will be constructed to far stricter fire codes than a lot of our existing buildings,” Manware added.
Police Chief Vincent DeMaio said that the Police Department is consulted mainly on traffic issues, and noted that applications for the old Morgan site and Unilever buildings are still in flux—the Indian River Landing development has yet to name specific tenants—and neither application has been approved yet.
DeMaio told the Harbor News he was supportive of all the proposed developments.
“I think it’s good for our town. The town is in need of development and we’re here to support that. My job is to make known any concerns I do have,” DeMaio said.
While he acknowledged the proposed developments could affect the department and may present unique challenges, DeMaio said that the old Morgan School and Unilever building remaining as abandoned buildings would be far more of a drain on the department.
“We’ve been really concerned about something bad happening in the abandoned buildings. You have to look at the situation as a whole and the draw it has on a departments resources, and abandoned buildings are a big draw on public safety,” DeMaio said.
The Planning & Zoning Commission is currently weighing a proposal for a brewery and restaurant to be placed in the Unilever headquarters, as well as an application for condos to go into an office building on the property. Asked about the possibility of drunk drivers, DeMaio said that when compared to the unknowns of what could happen in abandoned buildings, the department “is trained on that what to do with that. That’s in our wheel house.”
The brewery proposed to be opening on the property is called Kinsmen Brewing Co., which has one location in Milldale. DeMaio said he has spoken with law enforcement officials in that area and was told that the operations there were reputable, and said that the Clinton department can work with the operators in Clinton to ensure there are no issues.
“We’re not very concerned about that all, it’s a much better use than an abandoned building,’ DeMaio said of the brewery.
In recent years, the town of Branford has seen several breweries open and become popular destinations.
“We haven’t had any patrol or policy changes due the presence of breweries in town,” Branford Police Chief Jon Mulhern told the Harbor News. “During the summer months, we do experience increased pedestrian activity and traffic volumes. Some of the big events held at the brewery necessitate hiring security and public safety personnel. We work with the owners when these events are planned. Overall, the public safety demands are not that significant.”
DeMaio said that the Indian River landing proposal may end up being a bigger draw on department resources because it falls in the busiest area of town and is located close to the highway.
Regarding safety concerns for a hotel opening on the property, DeMaio said that there are steps that can be taken to make sure the hotel is safe.
“As long as it is a decent hotel at a decent price point, it will cut down on a lot of nefarious activity,” DeMaio said.
DeMaio suggested that the town could pass an ordinance that required a photo ID be presented upon check in to a hotel in town, something he said is legal and would help keep the guests and public safe.
Overall, DeMaio said he did find the hotel idea to be a something that could be a benefit to the community given the lack of major hotel options between New Haven and the casinos. He suggested the possibility a hotel could be a draw to summer visitors and people who hold weddings at venues in the area such as Chamard Vineyard. DeMaio did float the possibility that more staffing for the department could be needed if the developments are built as proposed and as successful as everyone hopes they will be. However, he said that determination would be made far down the line.
Currently the department has 27 officers working in shifts to ensure the town is patrolled 24/7.
“We need to have a long-term plan, and make sure anything we do is fiscally responsible,” said DeMaio, who also added that having an experienced town manager in place now could help with that planning should it be needed.
DeMaio said the goal would be to make sure that patrolling the new developments does not come at the expense of providing service to the other parts of town.
“We’re excited about all of it, it helps to see development. It’s all for the positive, and we’ll continue to do our best to continue our services as we do now,” said DeMaio.
The Planning & Zoning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the Indian River proposal on Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m. The commission also held a public hearing on the brewery application and the condo application on Feb. 3 (after press time). The Harbor News and zip06.com will continue to follow developments with those applications.