CVS Public Hearing is Tonight

A proposed CVS pharmacy on the site of the former Gales Ferry School Property will be the subject of a public hearing when the Ledyard Zoning Commission meets tonight at 7:30 in the town hall annex council chambers.

Commission members reviewed a modified site plan last month, making several minor suggestions, but declaring there were no “show stoppers.”

At that meeting, project engineer Paul Vitaliano of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin in Middletown said the location of the pharmacy had been moved back slightly from Route 12, compared to an earlier plan, to allow from more of a buffer and improved site lines. Most of the parking will be in front of the building.

The building itself will be gray clapboard with white trim and a red brick base. The pitched, gabled roof will be 28 feet high at the peak. Commissioners discussed whether full-length windows or half windows would be preferable, and also discussed appropriate lighting for the parking lot.

A traffic signal will be installed at the Route 12 and Hurlbutt Road intersection as part of the project. “I believe we’re giving the town a project that fits in well with the area,” said Paul Beck representing the developer, GB New England 2. “I think it’s a win-win.”

This is the second major pharmacy chain that has attempted to locate on the former Gales Ferry School site after Rite Aid failed in its bid several years ago.

Town officials and residents alike are hoping the new pharmacy will spark a revival of Gales Ferry's business district. If approved, the chain hopes to break ground on the project in the spring of 2012 and be open for business next fall.