Updated: A building long home to Wayne Tires of Milford at the corner of Bridgeport Avenue and Clark Street will soon become a donut shop called The Doughnut Shop.
John Torres received unanimous approval for the plan from the Planning and Zoning Board at its Aug. 19 meeting. Torres needed a special permit and site plan approval to establish the shop in the 1,728-square-foot building on a 0.34-acre parcel at 1080 Bridgeport Avenue.
Architect Douglas Reich told the board that the footprint of the existing building would remain unchanged, other than the addition of a drive-thru window for the shop. Interior renovations are expected to be extensive, as the building is transformed from a tire shop to a doughnut shop.
Reich said the parking lot is encroaching upon a neighboring property and would be pulled back to the property line. There will be about 20 parking spaces, with one entry/exit.
Reich said there will be extensive plantings on the site, including trees, shrubs and flowers. Torres said he would like to plant trees on the adjacent state property, which borders the Metro North railroad tracks, if permitted.
The shop is described in city plans as a “drive-thru and sit in coffee shop.”
The only negative comment from the board came regarding traffic flow. Board Vice Chairman Edward D. Mead expressed concern about motorists ignoring a right turn only sign exiting the property onto Bridgeport Avenue, seeking to turn left and head toward downtown. In reply, Sulkis said the Milford Police Department had no concerns about traffic.
Sulkis complimented the overall plan saying, “This is a nice redevelopment of an otherwise tired property.” He added that Torres needs to submit a food service plan to the health department.
Leonard Wisniewski is the property owner, and Torres is the property manager.
Torres said Wisniewski bought the property from the state and considered several uses before settling on the doughnut shop. He expects that when the building is done and the business open, it will be open from about 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., selling homemade doughnuts, bagels, eggs, coffee and the like.
Torres said he and Wisniewski have turned several former eyesores into attractive parcels in Milford, including some downtown shops and what is now Crush on Bridgeport Avenue, and he plans to do the same with the former tire shop.
“When we do something we do it right,” Torres said.
The building will either be leased to someone experienced with coffee/doughnut shops, or he and Wisniewski will manage it, Torres said. He expects it may open at the beginning of next year.
Dance and Yoga Studio
In other business, the board unanimously approved a special exception and site plan review to allow Chandra S. Jakka to open a dance and yoga studio at 1496 Boston Post Road. The approval is contingent upon Sewer Commission approval, an agency that has yet to vote on the proposal.
Jakka told the board that his business would occupy Unit 3, one of four retail spaces in a building behind the Chili's restaurant. He said he would establish the studio in the 1,000 square foot space, using the existing building, as is.
Sulkis said the board needed to approve the measure because a dance and yoga studio is not a use “acknowledged in the zone,” which is Corridor Design Devel-opment District 5 (CDD-5). Sulkis said the board had to decide if there was enough onsite parking, and said there was in his opinion. The site has 134 parking spaces.
The board also unanimously approved a two-lot subdivision with sidewalks at 843 North Street, at the corner of Kozlowski Road, which is owned by Doreen Castignoli. Land Surveyor Joseph Codespoti Jr. told the board that each parcel would be slightly more than one acre.
Codespoti said the existing house will remain and a new single-family home would be constructed on the other parcel. The existing house and the new one would connect to the sanitary sewer system.
Sulkis said Castignoli would make a payment to the city's open space fund in lieu of a land donation. Such payments are calculated at 10% of the parcel's appraised value. Sulkis also said the board could require sidewalks, as the property is located two parcels away from a pending subdivision at 701 North Street.
Board Vice Chair Jeanne Cervin replied by saying, “I would like to see sidewalks on that street.” Cervin said a long-time goal of the P&Z is getting sidewalks to create a walkable city. “It may seem a sidewalk to nowhere,” she said, over time such sidewalks create further connections.
No one from the public commented on any of the proposals.
The board continued until Sept. 2 the public hearing for the resubdivision of a 7-acre parcel at 701 North Street, which adjoins the Orchards Golf Course. The property is owned by Stone Preserve LLC, which lists Arnold Peck as manager.
At the Aug. 5 public hearing, the board asked the applicant to provide any information it had regarding environmental conditions on the property. Cervin had asked if there was any information about pesticide residue on the property, which was formerly an orchard.
In other business, the board unanimously approved an application to modify parking requirements at Beach Shore Village on Naugatuck Avenue at East Broadway.
Engineer Ronald Wassmer said the request came from the city's public works department to remove the landscaping islands in the parking lot. Wassmer said the parking islands created some maintenance issues for public works.