Whole Foods Begins to Set Stage for Grand Opening

Whole Foods Market is one step closer to opening for business in downtown Darien. Local officials granted the market a temporary certificate of occupancy last Friday afternoon, and with it, permission for business owners to temporarily open shop to stock the shelves and train employees on site.

Director of Planning & Zoning Jeremy Ginsberg said contractors and landscapers are working to tie up "a few loose ends," and that the market has a tentative grand opening date of May 19.

"They're finishing a few minor things, but it looks—well it looks like a grocery store," said Ginsberg. "The traffic lights and signs still need fine tuning."

The anticipated surge in traffic through downtown remains a cause for concern. The state Department of Transportation has put pressure on Whole Foods to ensure the traffic pattern in downtown Darien runs as smoothly and safely as possible, and engineers have spend the last few weeks at Exit 11 building a spur that leads traffic off the interstate onto Ledge Road.

Temporary signs that will help drivers navigate the precarious I-95, Ledge Road, Post Road, Leroy Avenue intersection are due to arrive Wednesday, April 28, said Darien Building Official Charles Saverine.

"I have not seen them, and I have no idea what they'll look like," said Saverine.

Designs for an alternative mask arm—two 15-foot poles on either side of the I-95 Exit 11 off-ramp, straddled by a 75-foot pole and bold hanging sign—have received less than rave reviews from local officials and the market's owners.

"Whole Foods does not think this sort of design is in keeping with Darien's character," said land use attorney Wilder Gleason. "Thankfully, we've had an alternative approved on a temporary basis."

Whole Foods' hope is that the state will allow the temporary signage to stay permanently; it's due for replacement by the mask arm in September. In order to pull strings in Hartford, though, the market needs written support from local officials.

"Our hope is that traffic will be orderly with temporary signage and that we'll keep it. That will only happen if there's political pressure put on the DOT," said Gleason.

According to Gleason, First Selectman Dave Campbell has agreed to write a letter, as has Planning & Zoning. The Architectural Review Board has been asked to consider following suit, and according to Selectman David Bayne, State Representative Bob Duff is also "on board."