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Politics & Government

Shelton Commission Approves New Home For Classic Cars

A 98-unit car storage facility will soon take shape at 496 River. Rd.

A new home for classic car buffs to store their precious rides will soon be coming to River Road, thanks to recent action by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

The commission, at its monthly meeting, granted unanimous approval to DWD Partners Limited to build a 98-unit car storage facility at 496 River Rd. The approval includes a zone change on the 1.95-acre parcel from commercial to a Planned Development District.

The project calls for construction of five, single story detached buildings that will house a total of 98 car storage units. The original plan called for 105 units, but some last-minute modifications were made to eliminate a back row of units at the rear of the property.

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Planning Consultant Anthony Panico said elimination of those units was a good move, especially since the facility won’t visually impact the nearest residential neighbors in the back.

The buildings will compromise a total of 30,282 square feet, and will include construction of a small office/lounge area. Parking for a total of eight cars will also be created.

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The facility, according to Attorney Dominick Thomas, who represents DWD, will not be a high-traffic generator, access to and from the property would be minimal. There will be no car repairs done on the site, either. Rather, Thomas said the units will be ideal for car buffs seeking a place to store their classic 1956 T-Birds or 1957 Corvettes. The office will house just one employee who will take care of paperwork and transactions for the units. Car owners will be afforded 24/7 access to their individual storage units, Thomas said, but the facility will not be open to the general public.

The property was previously used as a parking lot for school buses.

Other last-minute modifications were made to the plan prior to the commission’s approval, in order to satisfy some concerns that City Engineer Robert Kulacz and Fire Marshal James Tortora had with regard to access to the site for emergency vehicles.

Kulacz urged that circulation around the buildings be improved in order to grant sufficient access to emergency vehicles, while Tortora said the emergency access driveway needed to widened. Both issues were since resolved, and the concerns by both city officials were satisfied with the minor modifications to the site layout, according to PZC Chairman Ruth Parkins. 

Keeping the nearest neighbors to the property in mind, Thomas said back lighting, along with access from the back of the property were also eliminated to minimize any potential disturbances.

Thomas said DWD conducted a market analysis, and determined that there was definitely a market for a car storage facility like this, especially in Fairfield county. He also said the car facility would be a much better fit for the area, as opposed to a strip mall or fast food restaurant, which tend to generate far more traffic.

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