This story has been updated to reflect information received after the January 11 print edition went to press regarding the next P&Z meeting about this proposal.

A developer’s proposal to construct a gas station/convenience store/eatery in Hawleyville Center that would be known as Hawleyville Station is scheduled for a Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) public hearing at 7:30 pm, Thursday, February 7, at a location to be determined. 

The applicant for the project proposed for a 0.7-acre site at 26 Hawleyville Road (State Route 25) is NEMCO Limited Partnership of Danbury. The project would be constructed on the east side of Hawleyville Road at the property that has housed Hawleyville Deli for many years. The 2,798-square-foot existing structure would be demolished to make way for new construction.

The project takes its name from the former railroad station that once stood in that area near the Housatonic Railroad’s grade crossing at Hawleyville Road. The building that would house the proposed gas station, convenience store, and cafe would be built in the architectural style of an old train station. Seventy2 Architects of Danbury is the designer.

Notably, the site proposed for redevelopment lies within the Hawleyville Center Design District (HCDD) zone, a specialized zone unique to Hawleyville Center, which was created by the P&Z in 1999. The HCDD zone is intended to foster the creation of a neighborhood business district that includes mixed-use activities, improvements, and the development typical of a village center. 

Attorney Peter Olson of Bethel represents NEMCO in the application for Hawleyville Station. The developer is seeking a special zoning permit and a site development plan approval from the P&Z. The site currently is owned by Nimer Properties, which would sell it to NEMCO if NEMCO receives all required approvals to construct the project.

Specifics

Besides the proposed 3,277-square-foot building, which would hold the gas station, convenience store, and cafe, the site would hold a 2,500-square-foot post-supported canopy to shelter four fuel pumps. Gasoline and diesel fuel would be sold. The site would hold a buried 30,000-gallon water storage tank for firefighting. It also would have two buried 20,000-gallon fuel tanks. A septic waste disposal system would be installed. A water well would provide drinking water. The site would hold 16 parking spaces.

The applicant will need to receive permission from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) for the siting of a gas station. The ZBA has scheduled a February 6 session on that request.

The P&Z application includes a Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasures Plan, as is required of gas stations by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The 23 property owners who have holdings within 500 feet of the site will be formally notified of the January 17 P&Z public hearing by mail.

In September, in a 3-to-2 vote, the P&Z approved some modified HCDD zoning regulations which now allow gas station/convenience store complexes in the HCDD zone. As currently written, the regulations would allow a maximum of two such facilities in the HCDD zone.

Sometime in the future, the firm known as 13 Hawleyville Road LLC, which owns a 3.7-acre property at that address, is expected to seek P&Z approval for a gas station/convenience store there. 

The 26 Hawleyville Road site and 13 Hawleyville Road site are about 2,000 feet apart.

For the full length article, see the January 11 print edition of the paper. Subscribe at https://classadz.vdata.com/NewtownCTCirc/SelectOption.aspx.