PORTLAND — In an eloquent minuet, engineers working for developer Daniel Bertram and their counterparts, the staff working on behalf of the town, continue to review and refine the site plan for the Brainerd Place development.
The Planning and Zoning Commission met again last week as part of its continuing review of the site plan for the mixed-use development which Bertram proposes building on the 14.7-acre former Elmcrest Hospital site.
The commission agreed to continue the hearing to Jan. 4, as members of the Bertram team presented revisions to the plan intended to answer questions and/or concerns that had been raised by the town staff.
In turn, town staff members told PZC Chairman Bruce Tyler they would need the additional two weeks to read and digest the latest revisions and respond to them.
The highly civilized back and forth stands in marked contrast to the angry tenor of some of the earliest public meetings that took place in 2016 and 2017. Then, Bertram was seeking a zone change that would enable him to create an estimated $30 million mix of high-end apartment units and a mix of retail and commercial space.
Bertram acknowledged late last week how pleased he is with the more collegial tone that has marked the site-plan review process.
That being said, Bertram told the commission on Thursday, he will be happy when the hearing ends. “I hope we can close the public hearing soon so you can allow me to focus on this project,” he said.
At least on Thursday, much of the discussion focused on external aspects of the plan —specifically how to create a safe pedestrian crossing at the southeastern corner of the intersection of Main and Marlborough streets. Of equal concern was the sweeping curve that carries traffic coming off the Arrigoni Bridge onto eastbound Route 66.
Bertram is proposing to install a traffic signal at the entrance to Brainerd Place, perhaps 500 to 700 yards east of the Main and Marlborough intersection. Many eastbound drivers come around that the curve onto 66 like they are back on their living room floor racing slot cars.
First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield acknowledged as much when she told the PZC, “My office gets lots of comments about that (routes) 66 and 17 intersection.”
Bransfield proposed repurposing the triangular traffic island at the intersection and, perhaps, eliminating it altogether in favor of a 90-degree right-hand turn from Main onto Marlborough.
A resident has suggested a roundabout might work at that location. However, Joseph C. Balskus, director of transportation systems for VHB, a Wethersfield-based engineering firm working for Bertram, said, while both suggestions were innovative, they had complications.
Tractor-trailer trucks would have no small amount of difficulty negotiating a 90-degree turn onto Marlborough Street, Balskus said, adding he designed the roundabout in Glastonbury the resident had referenced. But he said it would not work at the Main and Marlborough intersection.
Instead, Balskus said he favored “tightening up that sweeping curve.”
His associate, Charlie Baker, said VHB has proposed installing a pedestrian warning system.
Project engineer Steve Sullivan said a pedestrian would trigger the system by pressing a button which would then set off “a rectangular rapid flashing light” that would alert drivers that a pedestrian was trying cross in the zone.
But Sullivan said it is not a stop light as much as it is a warning device.
In response to questions from commission members, Bertram said some of the queries about the types and styles of commercial buildings on the site would have to wait until the plan is approved and he can begin negotiating with would-be tenants.
“I’m looking to get the master plan approved so we can take it to the market,” he said. “The question is, how do we balance the commercial that is necessary to attract the kind of people who will be willing to pay for an upscale development?” Bertram said.
“Balance is the art of all of this this,” he added.
As he has from the beginning, Economic Development Commission Chairman Elwin Guild was steadfast in his support for the project. “Brainerd Place will truly become a destination,” Guild said.
Even as the discussions continue, Guild said he remained certain of one thing: “It’s going to happen — and by God, it will be done right!”
Reporter Jeff Mill covers East Hampton, Portland and Cromwell. Contact him at jeff.mill@hearstmediact.com.