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Zoning commission re-approves revised Starbucks on Linden Avenue after DOT signal changes
Summary
The Stratford Zoning Commission granted special-case approval for a revised 2,300 sq ft Starbucks at 1220–1260 Linden Ave, accepting DOT-driven driveway and signal modifications and conditions from town staff; commissioners required submission of DOT approval and drainage details before building permit.
Chair Harold Watson opened and later closed the public hearing on a revised special-case petition to construct a 2,300-square-foot Starbucks at 1220–1260 Linden Avenue and the commission voted in the administrative session to approve the application, 5–0.
Nicholas Owen, representing the applicant, told the commission the project was previously approved but required return for reapproval after a lengthy Connecticut Department of Transportation review. Owen said DOT required driveway and signal modifications tied to the adjacent Linden Avenue signal plan and that the applicant had received DOT’s concurrence to proceed with building-permit work while final signal structural details are completed. "We are complete with DOT as far as we may go ahead and get a building permit," Owen said on the record.
Architect Patrick Rose outlined the revised prototype: it keeps the approved 2,300-square-foot footprint but is wider and shorter, removes a previously proposed bypass lane, and maintains an 18-car drive-through queuing capacity. "Previously, we were at impervious of about 76%, and now we're at 67%," Rose said, noting the redesign frees up green space. Traffic consultant David Sullivan (SLR Consulting) said DOT requested new traffic counts and signal retiming; after adjustments, the intersection movements were brought down to acceptable levels of service (roughly C–D) though some queue increases are expected.
Staff asked that the commission include the conditions tied to the original approval plus items from town engineer John Casey’s memo (DCIA tracking and documentation) and that the DOT approval letter be uploaded with the building-permit application. The applicant agreed. Barry Knott, a local attorney who spoke during public comment, described regional changes in Starbucks’ business model since COVID and supported the design as consistent with corporate practices.
The commission approved the application with the staff conditions and the requirement that the applicant submit the DOT approval and DCIA calculations prior to or with the building-permit application. The approval was recorded in the administrative session as unanimous.
