WEST HAVEN — West Haven's already busy Saw Mill Road commercial corridor may soon get busier. The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved an application by the owner of two properties at Saw Mill and Meloy roads to knock down two houses to build a fast-food restaurant.
But if you want to know which restaurant — said to be a burger joint — may be coming, you'll have to wait a little longer.
Representatives of the developer described the restaurant this week as a "fast-casual" hamburger chain. Attorney Vincent R. Falcone said it is not a national chain, per se, but it has three locations in Florida.
The development team includes Ocean Avenue resident Michael Lipsett, who is part of the partnership that owns the properties, Falcone and Jeff Gordon, president of Codespoti & Associates in Orange. They would not name the restaurant, which would be a stone's throw from the Chick-fil-A restaurant and Starbucks on Saw Mill, among others.
The property eyed for the restaurant is at 12 and 22 Meloy Road, directly adjacent to Mekahs Halal Spot at 403 Saw Mill Road. It's in a commercial design district, which means they can build a restaurant "as of right," said Falcone.
The one-story restaurant, which cleared the Zoning Board of Appeals Aug. 20, would not have a drive-thru, he said.
Gordon told the PZC at its meeting Tuesday that the deal with the restaurant that would move into the location is close to being finalized but has not yet been signed.
Lipsett said work may not begin until spring. He said he expects it to take six to nine months to complete work, "depending on how everything goes."
The two houses that would be demolished are across the street from the West Haven Discount Liquor store, also located at Saw Mill and Meloy roads. The area is just up the road from the DaWa Korean restaurant, a McDonald's, Walmart, Aldi, 7-11 and Texas Roadhouse, among other businesses.
"What we're looking at is taking two non-complying lots and merging them together," Gordon said. The restaurant would have a small outdoor dining area, he said.
The proposed development would eliminate two driveways onto a busy, dangerous stretch of Meloy Road and replace them with access off Saw Mill Road and a single exit onto Meloy Road, Gordon said.
"It's a corner that needs a lot of refreshing, we believe," Gordon said.
Several PZC members had questions.
"You should have just one driveway with no left-hand turn," said PZC alternate Joseph Vecellio. He was also concerned that there not be an entrance or exit directly across from the liquor store driveway. Lipsett said they purposely did not put the Meloy driveway across from the liquor store driveway.
"We did not want to be opposite that driveway," Lipsett said.
Vice Chairman John Biancur asked about signage, to which Gordon responded, "We can add an 'entrance only' sign" on Saw Mill.
The approval came with a condition that additional information regarding soil percolation and drainage be provided to City Engineer Abdul Quadir, who said in his report that he had insufficient information to gauge the project's impact.
"The signage is great," said Richard Standish, who, as an alternate, can comment on the application but could not vote on it. "But people are going to do what they're going to do."