Should Plan Pass Muster, 101 Frontage Rd. May Be Home To New Starbucks

EAST HAVEN, CT — A site plan for a drive-thru and walk-up Starbucks next to the Frontage Road Taco Bell has been submitted to the East Haven Planning and Zoning Commission for approval.

Described in the site plan application as a "coffee shop," town Economic Development Director Richard Coppolla confirmed for Patch that it's a Starbucks. And, the site plan while not naming it, features drawings with the Starbucks signage and logo. Attempts to reach project applicant Thomas Hennessy of Hennessey Holdings, LLC, were unsuccessful Thursday.

Hennessy plans to "redevelop the existing 0.85-acre site into a 1,265 square foot Starbucks with drive-thru and walk-up service windows. It will not have indoor seating.

The site is bordered to the south by Frontage Road and I-95 South, to the north by a wetland, to the west by a paved access drive serving a used car dealer and petroleum terminal, and to the east by a Taco Bell restaurant. It was formerly occupied by a filling station with small convenience store. In the site plan, it's noted that the gas station building, tanks, and fuel islands have been removed.

"The development involves the filling of 3,667square feet of wetland in order to construct the drive-thru lane. To mitigate the effect of this filling, 4,762square feet of new wetland will be created," according to the engineering firm involved with the project.

The town Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission approved the plan with conditions at its Jan. 15 meeting, documents show.

The application was submitted Jan. 31. It was on the PZC agenda Feb. 5. Those meeting minutes have not yet been posted.