Commission closes hearing on Mill Plain Road service‑station plan after applicant says staff comments addressed; DOT driveway issue unresolved

The Danbury Planning Commission on April 15 closed the public hearing for Danbury Mill Plain Realty LLC’s proposal to redevelop the site at 85 Mill Plain Road as an automobile service station, service garage and convenience market, after the applicant and consultants said they had addressed outstanding planning, engineering and construction‑services comments but were still awaiting a final determination from Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT).

Attorney Josh Pedrera, representing the applicant, told commissioners the team submitted revised plans that corrected dated drawings, removed nonrequired tactile warning strips, adjusted sidewalk transitions and added a note confirming on‑site operations will comply with Connecticut DEEP FOG permit requirements. “As far as I know, we have addressed all comments,” Pedrera said.

Why it matters: the project is in a CA‑80 zone and the application cites trip generation greater than 500 vehicle trips per day, raising local traffic and pedestrian‑safety concerns. Commissioners pressed the applicant on DOT comments that suggested driveway widths be narrowed to 18 feet.

Mahud, a traffic engineer on the team, summarized the queue‑length estimates used in the traffic analysis, saying peak queues at the Westwood Drive intersection were small — “I don’t think there is a significant issue” — and that peak queue lengths were roughly 8 feet in the morning and about 20–23 feet in the evening.

Larry Webster, the applicant’s engineering contact, told the commission the current site plans show drive lanes sized for tanker ingress and egress (approximately 25 feet) and that the applicant has submitted responses to CTDOT; a final decision by CTDOT on driveway width and any required encroachment permit remains outstanding. “At this point, we are waiting for their response,” Webster said, adding that CTDOT may require mountable curbing or other adjustments and the encroachment permit must be resolved before final approvals proceed.

Commissioner Helen Hofstadter raised a pedestrian‑safety concern about how closely pumps sit to the store entrance and suggested signage to ask drivers to move to parking after fueling; Webster said signage on the pump itself would be feasible. Planning staff (Ali) said staff comments are generally minor and recommended that remaining items such as crosswalks and signage be included as conditions of approval, noting that any significant site changes required by CTDOT would require the project to return to the commission for further review.

The commission voted to close the public hearing and moved the application to the old‑business portion of the agenda for further discussion and possible action. No final site‑plan approval was granted on April 15; commissioners indicated they are generally comfortable moving forward provided the remaining staff conditions are met and CTDOT issues are resolved.

Next steps: the commission moved the application into old business for continued consideration; if CTDOT’s review leads to significant plan changes, the applicant has been advised to return to the commission.