ZBA approves Minutemen Cleaners relocation and parking variance at 50 Sheridan Street

The Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved a site-plan review and parking variance that will allow Minutemen Cleaners to operate at 50 Sheridan Street in Stratford.

Attorney Barry Knott, representing Dominic Zocali (sole member of the applicant entity identified in the filing as 'Zuccali Property LLC' and referred to in presentation as Zocali Property), presented exhibits showing the building and lot in the Hollister Heights section of Stratford. Knott said the structure is about 80 feet by 80 feet (6,400 square feet) on a 9,332-square-foot lot (0.2142 acres), meaning the building covers roughly 67% of the parcel.

Knott said his client plans to use the building as a commercial laundry for Minutemen Cleaners, relocating operations from a Westport facility at 600 Riverside Avenue. The proposed internal layout would allocate about 1,216 square feet for two interior garage bays, 3,000 square feet for warehouse, and 2,184 square feet for light industrial manufacturing. Knott told the board there will be 10 employees, four of whom drive pickup-and-delivery trucks; drivers will park their vehicles inside the building during the day and there will be no outdoor storage of trucks or materials. Knott also said the exterior facade will not be changed.

Knott explained the parking calculation under the zoning regulations: the garage and warehouse areas together require 4 spaces (1 per 1,000 sq ft) and the manufacturing area requires 4 spaces, for a total of 8 required parking spaces. He said the site can practically accommodate between 4 and 7 cars in front depending on angling, creating a shortfall that necessitates a variance. He framed the hardship as the preexisting nonconforming building and lot (built in 1951) and cited administrative comments referencing section 8-6 of the Connecticut General Statutes as the applicable variance standard.

Board members questioned staffing, construction impacts and parking layout; counsel said interior bays plus exterior spaces would meet operational needs and that construction would not block the road. A public commenter said reusing an existing building was preferable to new construction.

In administrative session the board found the circumstances qualified as a legitimate hardship and that the requested variance was the minimum necessary. Miss Lynch moved to approve; Christine Doolin seconded. Roll-call voice votes recorded unanimous approval (Miss Sweely, Miss Lynch, Miss Doolin, Mr. Carroll, chair). The motion passed 5–0.

The applicant was advised to proceed with the customary permitting and building inspections required for change of occupancy.