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PZC Approves Initial Plans for New Foxon Businesses

Three major restaurant chains are one step closer to opening their doors after gaining approval with conditions from the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) at a Nov. 21 meeting. The application from BL Companies calls for the construction of several new businesses on Foxon Road and Foxon Boulevard, which the applicant hopes will break ground in early spring.

At the Nov. 21 PZC meeting, commissioners voted to approve developments at 990 Foxon Road and 550 Foxon Boulevard. Tenants are expected to include Starbucks, Five Guys, and Chipotle. A healthcare center and self-storage facility are also anticipated.

With conditions in place for the applicants approved by the town engineer, Jonathan Bodwell, and potential ones that may arise out of a public hearing on the properties in the future, BL Companies are looking to March of next as the time “to get the wheels on the ground as far as the construction” is concerned, with about around a year from that point to complete it, said Zoning Enforcement Officer Joe Budrow.

The development of new businesses in the Foxon area and along Route 80 has become a crucial task for the reelected administration of Mayor Joseph Carfora.

Carfora identified properties along Route 80, like 990 Foxon Road, as a location in town with “the largest strip of properties that we have to revitalize for businesses,” said Michelle Benivegna, director of administration and management.

At the mayoral debate on Oct. 26, Carfora touted the application as bringing a boost to what has been a challenging area.

“Having this come in at the Foxon Country House is a major, major boost to our Route 80 corridor,” said Carfora.

Revitalization and transformation of properties along Route 80 would also serve as a “welcoming sign for those entering town on the route from New Haven,” said Benivegna.

According to Budrow, the healthcare center is meant to be a “free agency medical walk-in” establishment next to the restaurants.

Concerning the food chains at 990 Foxon Road, the former site of the Seasons wedding venue, Bodwell has already signed off on a number of conditions the developers will need to abide by. The PZC has also considered a handful of other potential conditions that may be yielded following the public hearing on the properties.

One of those potential conditions includes the installation of 10 electric vehicle chargers, an addition the developers have raised themselves. Budrow said this was made possible given Connecticut State Statute 4b - 77, which was codified on Jan. 1 and reads that “a municipality shall require each new construction of a commercial building…may, through its legislative body, require any such commercial building or multiunit residential building to include such electric vehicle charging infrastructure in more than 10% of such parking spaces.”

Budrow said another potential condition is that “the applicant shall install street trees that will improve the sight of the property but not grow in a way that will interfere with the utility lines that are in place in the Right of Way of Foxon Boulevard and Foxon Road.”

He added that the original landscaping plans for the 990 Foxon parcel would have done away with a significant portion of surrounding greenery with no larger landscape buffering. Given the property’s adjacent position to the town line of New Haven, the decoration of ornamental trees for a more pleasant aesthetic would make it a “nice gateway property” for those coming from New Haven.

“Most of the time when you see street trees required, it’s often with the subdivision. You want to make sure that each proposed lot has one or two street trees just to give a nice aesthetic look to driving in that community,” Budrow explained.

Additional conditions include the readjustment of a four-way intersection between two of the buildings and the addition of stop signs. The applicant will also need to gain approval from the local water pollution control authority for water mains and sewer lines in and around the property.

While the town expects to receive an economic boost from the new businesses at 990 Foxon and the traffic it attracts from New Haven, it may also benefit from the traffic report submitted by BL Companies, which will be helpful to future businesses in accelerating their application.

“If we do a file where we have historical traffic reports, we can refer to it,” said Budrow.