WALLINGFORD — A local auto dealership plans to expand its off-site vehicle storage to a Route 5 location that lies in a water protection area.
The Planning and Zoning Commission granted a special permit Monday night to Executive Auto Group owner John Orsini. The permit allows the storage of up to 120 vehicles at 1254 S. Broad St., a former Servpro location.
According to town records, Orsini purchased the 2-acre property in August 2019 for $900,000. The parcel is currently appraised at $1,096,900.
The existing 11,784-square-foot building, built in 1965, is slated to be used for offices and some indoor vehicle storage.
Executive Auto Group was founded in 1972, when it opened Executive Honda on Route 5. From there it added several more brands and currently operates Kia, Honda and Dodge Jeep Ram dealerships, as well as the former Valenti Chevrolet, in Wallingford. Executive also has nine other locations in North Haven, Berlin and Hartford.
The plan, as presented to the PZC on Monday, would add a fence around the 19,200-square-foot outdoor storage area. A total of 84 vehicles can be stored outside and 36 inside.
An additional 15 parking spaces outside of the fenced in storage lot would be used for business parking.
A condition of approval requires limited use of car carriers or large trucks to deliver vehicles. The plan calls for the closure of the northern driveway to create one entrance and exit on South Broad Street.
The outdoor storage lot would be part paved and part gravel, with the drainage tying into an oil and water separator.
No car washing or detailing can be done on site because the property lies in the aquifer protection area for the town’s public drinking water supply wells at Oak Street, as designated by the town Water Division.
Before Servpro, the site was owned by Wallingford Auto Center and had an aquifer protection area registration to conduct auto repair and maintenance, according to an email to Town Planner Kacie Hand from Kim Czapla, environmental analyst at the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
When the property was sold to Servpro, the registration was not transferred and has since expired, the email said.
The plan also calls for a sidewalk along South Broad Street. A condition of approval requires the sidewalk to be completed within five years, which is the same amount of time applicants have to fully implement site plans.
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