Thursday's PZC Public Hearing On BJ's Wholesale Club Application Moved to Walsh Intermediate School

BRANFORD, CT — Thursday's Planning and Zoning Commission's public hearing on the BJ's Wholesale Club application, previously set to be held at Branford High School, has been moved to Walsh Intermediate School, officials said.

The hearing is set for 6 p.m. at the 185 Damascus Road school's auditorium.

Subscribe

Application PZ-26-39 proposes a commercial development anchored by BJ's Wholesale Club at 569 and 573 East Main Street in Branford. The site is a 37-acre vacant site previously eyed for a Costco.

The applicant is Sound Development Group LLC & BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. 595 Corporate Circle is the owner of 569 East Main Street. NF & W Cooke Limited Partnership is the owner of 573 East Main Street.

The proposal is a Planned Development District, Master Plan, and Zoning Map Amendment.

It includes a BJ's Wholesale Club—a 106,700 sq. ft. store with an attached liquor store along East Main Street. An eight-pump gas station on East Industrial Road. Two 2,800 sq. ft. freestanding fast-food restaurants with drive-thrus, a 7,600 sq. ft. full-service sit-down restaurant, and a 16,000 sq. ft. commercial retail plaza with a drive-thru.

There will not be a remote option for attending the October 29, 2026 meeting.
➢ BCTV is scheduled to provide a live broadcast of the meeting.
Public Hearing Overview
1. Public testimony
a. There will be a sign-up sheet at the meeting; those that wish to speak will be asked to provide their name and address for the record. The sign-up sheet is an administrative
aid, not a prerequisite to speaking.
i. Public testimony will be called for based on the sign-up sheet.
ii. Before concluding public testimony, the Chair will invite anyone who has not signed up and wishes to speak to do so.
b. To ensure everyone has a chance to speak, verbal public testimony will ordinarily be limited to three minutes per person. The limit will be applied evenhandedly, subject to
the Chair's discretion to allow additional time when appropriate.

Commission and staff questions
3. Applicant and intervenor responses
a. The Chair will provide the applicant and intervenor reasonable opportunities to address new issues or evidence raised in public testimony, Commission questions, or
staff comments. Responses will be limited to relevant matters and will avoid repetitive argument. If a response introduces additional new matter, the Chair will allow a reasonable opportunity for the affected participants to address it.
b. If insufficient time remains for necessary questions, review, or responses, the hearing will be continued rather than closed without those opportunities.
4. Continuation or closure of the Public Hearing
a. Before closing the hearing, the Chair will confirm that public testimony has been invited and that reasonable opportunities to review and respond to new materials have been provided.
b. If business is not completed, the Chair will announce the date, time, and location or remote-access arrangements for the continued hearing on the record. Planning staff
will update this overview and the posted schedule and arrange for any required meeting notice and agenda. Any continuation remains subject to applicable hearing deadlines and any necessary applicant consent to an extension.