Following a public hearing, Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) members on September 6 unanimously approved a modified special zoning permit for the many advertising signs that Starbucks Coffee will install at its planned drive-through service window in a retail center now under construction at a 3.1-acre site at 75 Church Hill Road, near Exit 10 of Interstate 84.

That planned drive-through will be the first such customer convenience facility allowed at an eatery by the P&Z since the town zoning regulations went into effect in 1958. The only other eatery in town with a drive-through is Botsford Drive-In at 282 South Main Street, which had a drive-through before the zoning regulations went into effect.

Justin Walsh, representing Tim’s Sign and Lighting Service Inc of Meriden, presented a set of detailed drawings to P&Z members specifying a dozen signs for the drive-through. The drive-through window will be positioned at the northwestern end of the 12,170-square-foot building. Motorists buying items at the service window will line up along the rear length of the commercial building.

Mr Walsh described in detail the various signs, explaining how they would be illuminated. Also, there is a specialized sign planned that conforms with the signage standards of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) to make it simpler for handicapped people to purchase items.

Mr Walsh said that the lighting employed for the signs is “not obtrusive, not very bright.”

P&Z member Jim Swift, who questioned the drive-through aspect of the retail center when the P&Z was reviewing the overall commercial project in 2016, raised some concerns about the signage design.

P&Z Chairman Don Mitchell noted that 75 Church Hill Road complex is being constructed in a densely developed place. That area has both industrial and commercial uses and is well lit, Mr Mitchell observed. Mr Swift responded that he wants to minimize additional lighting in the area.

George Benson, town planning director, said that if Starbucks wants to have patrons sit outdoors near its store while consuming items purchased there, it would need to return to the P&Z to get approval for outdoor seating. A drawing included in the signage plans depicts outdoor seating in front of the store.

P&Z member Benjamin Toby said he realizes that Starbucks has P&Z approval for drive-through window service and that the line of cars leading to that window would be located behind the commercial building, “But there’s a precedent there nonetheless.’

“It is precedent-setting, “ Mr Swift added.

Mr Benson said he considers the types of signs planned by Starbucks to be better quality signs than the signs used by drive-through eateries in the past. Of the prospect of added light in the area from Starbucks’ signs, Mr Benson said, “That area is lit up like an airport already.”

Bryan Atherton of Northeast Investment Realty, representing the project, said the applicant presented a detailed site lighting plan to the P&Z during the development review process. Mr Atherton added that the applicant is considering seeking a parking lot expansion for the project. The project’s developer is Sunrise Church Hill Road LLC.

Mr Swift restated his concerns about aspects of the planned signage for the coffee shop.

The motion to approve the drive-through signage stated that the application is consistent with the tenets of the 2014 Town Plan of Conservation and Development. Voting in favor were Mr Mitchell, Mr Swift, Robert Mulholland, Corinne Cox, and Barbara Manville.

The retail center’s main driveway would be located at the traffic signal at the intersection of Church Hill Road and the Exit 10 ramps for eastbound I-84. A secondary rear driveway for the retail center would connect to a new, as-yet unbuilt section of Edmond Road.

The retail complex is being constructed amid an ongoing state Department of Transportation (DOT) project that will shift the southern end of Edmond Road westward so that Edmond Road forms a conventional four-way signalized intersection with Church Hill Road and Commerce Road. The intersection realignment and other roadway improvements are intended to improve traffic flow in that area, which has the highest local accident rate.

Starbucks has a coffee shop at 34 Church Hill Road, but that property does not have drive-through window service.

Sunrise Church Hill Road LLC received permission for drive-through window service by gaining P&Z approval for a new zone, known as the Exit 10 Commercial Design District (X10-CDD), within which the site is located. Drive-through window service for eateries has long been a sensitive topic among local land use officials, with the issues of concern being traffic congestion and littering.

Both the roadway realignment project and retail complex are scheduled to be complete by December.