Planning & Zoning Commission (linked)

From:
Carl Cascio
To:
Jonathan Mullen
Subject:
Hotel P&Z Meeting
Date:
Monday, January 22, 2024 3:51:59 PM
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Jonathan Mullen,
 
There is a Planning and Zoning public hearing tomorrow on a new hotel proposed for Boston
Post Road and Willetts Avenue. 
It is advertised as a Zoom meeting and I’m not sure that the public will be allowed to speak. 
Could you provide Planning and Zoning the following comments in case I cannot speak?
 
P&Z Members:
The documents placed in the meeting record make clear that there is a traffic problem on
Willetts Avenue during rush hour. 
The town knows about it, the developer of Waterford Central Apartments knows about it and
has provided an unfunded remedy
of adding another stacking lane at the Boston Post Road – Willetts Avenue intersection.  The
hotel developer also knows about the
remedy and has had his traffic study contractor include the stacking lane remedy in his traffic
analysis. 
Is this assumption not premature since the feasibility and funding for the stacking lane has not
been established?
 
The current traffic problem will only get worse as Waterford Woods fills with its 98
apartments. 
Also, Electric Boat continues to hire and more vehicles will be using the New London facility,
some of which will add to the Willetts Avenue traffic.
 
On reading the hotel’s traffic study, it appears that 540 trips are expected every day. 
If the Willetts Avenue exit is removed, the Boston Post Road exit will see an increase of 162
trips per day, up from 378 to 540.
This 43 % increase will change the 1 to 2 % of traffic increase on Boston Post Road to 1.5 to 3

%, still a very small number. 
The Willetts Avenue exit appears to not be needed by the hotel's guests. 
Having an exit on Willetts Avenue will only make the traffic situation on Willetts Avenue
worse, even assuming the proposed roadway improvements are actually built.
Planning and Zoning should deny the hotel an exit on Willetts Avenue until the traffic
problem is eliminated.
 
If there is another reason, such as safety, for having an exit on Willetts Avenue, the town
could stipulate that there be a locked gate,
similar to what was agreed upon in the Waterford Central application for their exit onto the
end of Myrock Avenue.
 
Carl Cascio                 50 Myrock Avenue                  cascio@mail.com      January22, 2024