Architectural Review Board refers six‑unit apartment plan at 1745 Boston Post Road with conditions

The Old Saybrook Architectural Review Board on March 23 referred a plan to replace the former Blue Crab restaurant at 1745 Boston Post Road with a six‑unit apartment building, contingent on design and landscape conditions.

Why it matters: The proposal converts a vacant, edge‑of‑town lot into housing and reuses an already approved septic system; the board’s conditions are intended to reduce neighbor impacts from sightlines, light and waste collection.

Woody Surret, owner of Surret Building, said he demolished the restaurant several years ago and “decided I would like to build some apartments,” proposing two accessible first‑floor units, 11 parking spaces and small private storage for each unit. Surret told the board the development will be compact on the lot, will reuse the approved septic system and include small plantings and stone landscape zones.

Board members flagged the rear lot line where residential property abuts the site and said an existing fence does not meet the board’s planted buffer standard. The board asked the applicant to plant a continuous vegetative buffer (the town’s guidance typically calls for a roughly 10‑foot planted setback with shrubs or staggered trees such as arborvitae) along the back property line to shield neighboring homes.

The board also required that the front entry be given visual articulation to avoid a long, flat façade: the condition calls for adding modest elements such as a small dormer or hip‑roofed portico sides to break up more than 40 feet of uninterrupted wall. Members emphasized that facade relief is a standard consideration for longer wall planes.

On waste management, the board asked that the dumpster be placed in a less conspicuous spot and fully enclosed with a gate to prevent overflow and reduce nuisance impacts on neighboring properties. Surret said he would provide a gated enclosure and, where possible, place the dumpster away from the building.

The board added a lighting condition: exterior down‑lighting should be dark‑sky sensitive and limited to a warm color temperature of about 3000K. The board noted that down‑lights are acceptable for security so long as they comply with dark‑sky guidelines and do not cause undue light spill onto adjacent residences.

Outcome and next steps: The board moved to refer the project as acceptable subject to the listed conditions. The transcript records the motion and the stated conditions; a roll‑call vote tally was not recorded in the meeting transcript. The applicant agreed to return with revised plans that reflect the buffer plantings, dumpster enclosure, portico articulation and lighting specifications.

Provenance: The application and the board’s conditional referral appear beginning at SEG 021 (applicant introduction) and conclude at SEG 383 (applicant closing comments).