Planning & Zoning Commission (linked)

DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT 
 
 
MEMORANDUM 
 
TO:  
 
Planning and Zoning Commission 
 
FROM:  
Mark Wujtewicz, Planner 
 
DATE:  
January 23, 2024 
 
TITLE:  
Staff Report:  Woodspring Suites Hotel 
 
 
 
16 & 18 Boston Post Road 
 
 
 
295 & 313 Willetts Ave Ext   
 
 
 
Site Plan / Special Permit  
Application PL-23-16 
 
 
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
The project as proposed is to construct a 122 room hotel with associated parking, utilities and 
storm water drainage infrastructure. The site consists of four parcels which will be merged into 
one parcel with a combined area of approximately 4.5 acres. Existing conditions on the site 
include an abandoned commercial building, two residential buildings and accessory buildings. 
The site is located within the General Commercial (C-G) Zone District and in accordance with 
Section 8.2.6 of the Waterford Zoning Regulations, hotels are a use allowed through the issuance 
of a Special Permit. The proposed hotel as constructed will contain approximately 12,400 square 
feet of building area. It will contain four stories with approximately 50,000 total square feet of 
Gross Floor Area. The main access to the site will be from Boston Post Road with a secondary 
access from Willetts Avenue Ext. Site improvements to the property will also include onsite 
surface and subsurface stormwater drainage, utilities and landscaping.  
 
BACKGROUND 
 
Pertinent Regulations 
CGS 8-3(g) 
Section 8 – General Commercial District (C-G)  
Section 8.2 - Uses Permitted in the C-G District subject to approval of a Special Permit: 
Section 8.2.6 – Motels and Hotels 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Section 22 – Site Plans 
FIFTEEN ROPE FERRY ROAD 
WATERFORD, CT 06385-2886 

F:\PUBLIC\WS\PZAPPS\In Process\Boston Post Road 16 18 and Willetts Ave 295 and 313\Boston Post Road 16 18 and Willetts Ave 295 and 
313 PL-23-16\Staff Report_DRAFT.docx 
Section 22b – Design Review of Site and Building Requirements 
Section 23 – Special Permits with Design Review 
 
 
This application was received by the Commission on December 12, 2023. 
The Public Hearing was advertised in The Day on January 9 and January 16, 2024. 
The Public Hearing is scheduled to open on January 23, 2024. 
 
DISCUSSION 
In order for the Commission to approve a site plan and special permit it must find that the use 
as proposed on the plan is consistent with the findings listed in Section 23.5 of the Zoning 
Regulations. As required, the applicant has provided a Statement of Use (Exhibit 8) which 
describes the proposed project’s consistency with the findings contained in Section 23.5 of the 
Zoning Regulations. The Commission may require additional conditions or stipulations to the 
Special Permit which must be supported by the record. The Commission must act on the plan 
initially submitted for review and can find that the site plan is either compliant with the Zoning 
Regulations or it may approve the plan with modifications that are required to be implemented 
on the plan prior to filing on the land records.  
The applicant submitted a Traffic Impact and Access Study into the record (Exhibit 7). This 
report analyzed the projects impacts on traffic volumes and key street intersection level of 
service. As mitigation for the previously approved Waterford Central residential development, 
the Traffic Impact study took into consideration proposed roadway geometric and traffic signal 
improvements by others at the intersection of Boston Post Road with Willetts Avenue Ext. These 
improvements include the widening of the Willetts Avenue northbound approach to provide 
additional capacity and queue storage, as well as the optimization of the future signal timing at 
this location. The applicant has identified the Boston Post Road access driveway as the main 
access for the hotel with the Willetts Avenue Ext access driveway being secondary. There is no 
signage proposed for the Willetts Avenue Ext access. 
The property contains approximately .6 acres of wetlands with proposed regulated activity 
occurring within 16,400 sq. ft. of the upland review area. As a result, an application for Inland 
Wetland Permit #C-23-09 was submitted to the Waterford Conservation Commission. Inland 
Wetland Permit #C-23-09 was approved by the Conservation Commission for site work, access 
drive and infrastructure construction, and construction of a portion of the stormwater treatment 
basin within the upland review area.  In accordance with CGS §8-3(g) a report of the 
Conservation Commission action was submitted into the record (Exhibit 5). 
The applicant submitted a Drainage Report into the record (Exhibit 6). The report provided 
an analysis of existing site drainage conditions and analyzed the proposed stormwater drainage 
system design to mitigate adverse impacts from the development of the project as proposed. The 
site plans submitted into the record (Exhibit 3) identified the use of a subsurface infiltration 
system for the capture and infiltration of building generated stormwater runoff. Stormwater 
surface runoff is proposed to be accommodated using two stormwater quality basins to be 
constructed on the site. Both basins are designed to accommodate a 5-year storm event and meet 
the criteria of the Connecticut 2004 Stormwater Quality Manual.  
 

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313 PL-23-16\Staff Report_DRAFT.docx 
RECOMMENDED ACTION 
 
Based on the information provided, staff recommends the Planning and Zoning Commission find 
that:  
 
Findings: 
1.  
The application is for a use subject to a Special Permit approval, pursuant to Section 
8.2.6 of the Waterford Zoning Regulations. 
2.  
The application meets the criteria for site plan approval, pursuant to Section 22 of the 
Waterford Zoning Regulations, subject to modifications listed. 
3. 
The Statement of Use (Exhibit 8) provided by the applicant in accordance with 
Section 23.5 of the Zoning Regulations identifies through the findings that the 
proposed use is consistent with Sections 23.5.1 through 23.5.9. 
4. 
The Waterford Conservation Commission issued Inland Wetland Permit# C-23-09 for 
regulated inland wetland activities. 
5. 
The Waterford Conservation Commission issued a report of its action on application 
#C-23-09 in accordance with CGS §8.3(g). 
6.  
This application has been reviewed by the Town of Waterford Design Review Board 
in accordance with Section 22b of the Waterford Zoning Regulations and which 
Board submits a positive report to the Planning and Zoning Commission. 
 
and that the Commission approve the proposal with the following modifications and conditions:  
 
1. 
An annual Maintenance and Inspection Report for the Stormwater management 
system shall be provided to the Town of Waterford Planning and Development 
Department. This report shall be required to be submitted in order to verify that the 
stormwater management system is maintained and continues to operate as originally 
designed. 
2. 
The Zoning Compliance Chart shall be updated to reflect the correct total acreage of 
the combined parcels. This shall be shown on the final plans prior to filing on the land 
records. 
3. 
In order to maintain the Willetts Avenue Ext access as secondary there shall be no 
signage at that access. 
 
Proposed Motion 
To approve with modifications and conditions, the Site Plan / Special Permit for 
Woodspring Suites Hotel application #PL-23-16 at 16 & 18 Boston Post Road and 295 & 
313 Willetts Ave Ext, with modifications and conditions 1 thru 3 and to adopt the findings 1 
thru 6 of the staff report.