Stratford panel approves revised Starbucks site with expanded drive‑through despite traffic concerns

The Stratford Zoning Commission voted to approve a revised site plan for a Starbucks at 50 East Main Street that enlarges the store and adds a two‑lane drive‑through configuration intended to increase queuing capacity.

Attorney Barry Knott said the proposed modification increases the Starbucks from about 2,000 to 2,403 square feet and replaces a previous single‑lane drive‑through (five‑to‑six car stacking) with a plan that stacks roughly 14–16 cars. He told commissioners the change responds to a national shift in customer behavior toward drive‑through and mobile orders and noted prior approvals from the Architectural Review Board, Harbor Management, DEEP and a February ZBA variance.

Project engineer Rob Aiello described site access and circulation, explaining that the existing driveway pattern includes a right‑in/right‑out and an internal connection to a signalized driveway that can distribute peak flows. Aiello said the applicant’s traffic study was prepared by the project team and reviewed by OSTA (the Connecticut DOT unit that handles major traffic generators); he added that OSTA and DOT will review the revised plans and could require timing or configuration changes.

Commissioners and members of the public raised concerns about congestion in the Dock Shopping Center. Commissioner Ewald Joseph said, “Whenever I go to that shopping center, it is a nightmare to get in and out of it,” citing queuing and circulation worries. The applicant and engineer maintained the revised stacking will limit parking‑lot backups and that the plan provides more queuing capacity than the earlier approval.

The commission approved the local modification by roll call, with a motion carried during the administrative session. The approval is local and conditional on standard staff review; the applicant must still submit the revised plans to OSTA/CTDOT and any required state referrals for final technical review and possible traffic‑timing adjustments.

Next steps include submission of the final revised plan, continued coordination with OSTA/CTDOT and any adjustments the state recommends to address circulation and signal timing.