Commission approves boat sales, storage and ice cream shop at 326 Ferry Boulevard with landscaping and operational conditions

The Stratford Zoning Commission approved a text amendment and a special permit Wednesday to allow outdoor sales, storage and repair of marine vessels and an on-site ice cream shop at 326 Ferry Boulevard, subject to conditions including perimeter landscaping, limits on outdoor repairs and adherence to architectural guidance.

Applicant Attorney Peter Harvey and proposed operator John Brown presented the project as the relocation of an existing marine business to Ferry Boulevard. Harvey said the applicants submitted renderings and landscaping plans to address the commission’s aesthetic concerns and that EPA land-use restrictions on the site prohibit residential uses. He told commissioners the front parcel would display new boats for sale while boats for storage and repair would be kept in the rear fenced area and within covered repair structures.

Why it matters: Ferry Boulevard is a long-standing marine-commercial corridor in Stratford. The applicant argued the relocation supports water-dependent uses, will generate tax revenue and will reuse a currently deteriorating site; town conservation and planning staff and the Waterfront Commission generally supported the business if mitigation and screening measures were included.

Key conditions and technical points: Attorney Harvey and the owner described site details during the hearing: the applicant said the retail display area would hold about 20 new boats in front and that the rear fenced portion could store substantially more boats (applicant cited about 100 in an answer to commissioners); repairs would be performed inside the rear service area and under a covered structure, not in the public-front display area. Commissioners and conservation staff requested additional naturalized plantings and perimeter screening; the commission directed that the applicant adhere to Architectural Review Board guidance and the landscaping and buffering shown on the revised plans. The applicant provided EPA draft land-use restrictions in the record showing residential uses are not permitted on either parcel.

Outcome: During the administrative session the commission approved the text amendment and special permit with conditions requiring that only new retail-display boats be placed in the front area, that all repairs occur within the rear enclosed repair structures, that the applicant follow Architectural Review Board guidance and that perimeter and interior screening be installed as shown on the revised plans. The approvals passed unanimously.

Ending: The operator will proceed under the special-permit conditions and the applicant must secure any building, environmental and licensing approvals required by state and town agencies. The commission recorded the conditions in the permit to ensure screening and that boat-repair activity remain out of public view.