PROSPECT — The Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a special permit for a new CVS Pharmacy on Waterbury Road.
The pharmacy will be built at 26 Waterbury Road on a 3-acre parcel that includes the former Buckmiller Bros. Funeral Home property and two office buildings on Summit Road. The pharmacy will have a drive-thru and 64 parking spaces.
The Lombard Group of Waterbury, whose principal, John Lombard grew up in town, is behind the project.
The plans include the demolition of a building on Summit Road that was heavily damaged by fire and the demolition of the former funeral home. The plans also include the renovation of an existing building into a 2,440-square-foot office space with 10 parking spots. The existing building, which will be used as an office for the Lombard Group, will only be able to be accessed from Merriman Lane.
The commission approved the special permit July 1 with seven conditions.
The conditions include changing the address of the proposed office building from 4 Summit Road to 4 Merriman Drive. The commission had previously cited concerns that if emergency crews need to respond to the office they would be unable to access the building on Summit Road.
The Lombard Group also has to present a proposed ordinance to the Town Council. The proposed ordinance would give the town the power to levy fines on drivers who receive a ticket from police for blocking the intersection of Waterbury Road and Chandler Drive.
Among the concerns raised by the public during hearings on the project was that the new CVS would increase traffic on Waterbury Road. To help alleviate traffic the Department of Transportation required Lombard to add a by-pass lane heading south on Waterbury Road and to move one of the driveways to the CVS from Waterbury Road to Chandler Drive.
The Lombard Group is also required to put $160,000 into a site improvement bond for the project.
Commissioner Gregory Ploski felt that was too high to ask Lombard to put into a bond.
“I don’t believe he should be required to put up a $160,000 bond for his site work alone because it’s not required by the Town of Prospect or the State of Connecticut,” Ploski said. “In this particular case I believe that bond should be reduced significantly.”
The commission’s main concern was that the planned stormed basins are put in correctly.
Commissioner Jack Crumb recommended keeping the bond amount at $160,000 and reducing it after the storm basins are put in.
The rest of the commissioners agreed.
Following the meeting last week, Lombard said the next step is to finalize all the plans and begin to move forward with the project.
“We are going to finalize the site plans and construction plans and then we’re moving. We have to try and get the foundation in before the snow flies,” Lombard said.
