P&Z Decision Makes Way for a Large Anchor Store Off of Main Street

Victorinox Swiss Army moved into the corporate park at Victoria Drive and Main Street with much fanfare a few years ago, but a bad national economy soon made it difficult to lure in more quality tenants.

Kimball Group and RD Scinto Inc., joint owners of the 40-acre property, believe promoting a mixture of retail and corporate businesses can fill it up with tax paying tenants.

"We're trying to do what we can," Robert Scinto Jr. told the Planning & Zoning Commission at its Thursday night meeting. "We're trying to do both."

"We're hoping to bring an anchor store in and dress the entrance with smaller format stores," John Kimball added.

Kevin Solli, an engineer with Kimball Group, said a cap restricting the sizes of retail buildings in a DI-3 zone to no more than 50,000 square feet has hamstrung efforts to find that anchor store.

A list of Northeast retailers whose building prototypes are larger than 50,000 square feet was compiled and the developers found that over 275 retailers would be excluded from their commercial park, according to Solli.

On Thursday night, Kimball Group and RD Scinto Inc. proposed a regulation text amendment to remove the cap on the size of the buildings in a DI-3 zone and to allow the sale of nursery products in the zone. The Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approved the changes with conditions.

The developers may only build on 25 percent of the property and a previous zoning approval allows a total of 130,000 square feet spread over four buildings. Solli only anticipates that one building will exceed 50,000 square feet.

A building larger than 50,000 square feet will now be allowed within 1,000 feet from the road and within 6,500 feet of a highway (Route 25) — an increase from 5,000 feet.

Scinto Jr. said the request to add the sale of nursery products in the language of the DI-3 is meant for flexibility and for any business that sells those products to feel more comfortable moving in.

Public Input, Conditions

Among the conditions of the P&Z Commission's approval, Chairman Richard Zini wants the commission to be able to ask developers for parallel standards to United States Green Building Council Guidelines for construction.

During a public comment portion of the hearing, town resident Ronald Bunovsky expressed concern over how runoff from an increase in impervious coverage could affect the Pequonnock River which runs behind the property.

"We need to ask for proposals that appreciate the water, the river and its critical nature," said Bunovsky, who is also concerned about bringing in more traffic to the already congested Route 25 corridor.

Lois Spence, said she was speaking as a member of the Monroe Inland Wetlands Commission but not for the commission, when she echoed some of Bunovsky's environmental concerns. She noted the property would have to have a good storm water detention system.

Spence said she was at the meeting when a cap was placed on the size of the retail buildings in a DI-3 and one of the reasons for it that were expressed was that people did not want "big box stores."

While not opposing raising the 50,000 square foot cap on building size, Spence asked, "Shouldn't we put some kind of cap there?"

Lee Hossler, a Stepney resident who is also the chairman of the Monroe Economic Development Commission, said he had attended the meeting when the 50,000 square foot cap was enacted too, adding he didn't like it then and he doesn't like it now.

If such a cap were on Route 111, Hossler said Stop & Shop supermarket would not have been able to move to town.

Bunovsky had said the Main Street commercial park is close to Easton Reservoir, but Kimball said the portion of the property that would be built upon is not in a public watershed.

"We are not asking for the ability to increase development on the site, only to increase the size of a building," Kimball said.

Another condition in the P&Z's approval is on fencing in or screening of any outdoor product displays, such as plants for sale. Zini said the commission has restrictions on outside storage, not to be difficult, but to enhance the aesthetic appearance along Main Street and Monroe Turnpike.