The presently abandoned Sunoco gas station on Main Street in the Centerbrook section of Essex. (Photo by Jerome Wilson)
ESSEX— The zoning commission Monday approved a special permit allowing Bestway 2 LLC of Norwich to open a convenience store as part of a reopened Sunoco gasoline station at 1 Saybrook Road. The property, near the Route 9 exit 3 interchange and the Valley Railroad visitor attraction, has been vacant for nearly eight years.
Zoning Enforcement Officer Joseph Budrow said the panel imposed only two conditions on the permit approval, a prohibition on gasoline delivery trucks backing out on to Saybrook Road, and a ban on signs for the station/store on Route 9. While there would be no expansion of the existing 1,800-square-foot building, the partnership plans renovations that would use more of the space for a convenience store. Existing pumps and underground storage tanks would be removed to construct a station with eight service pumps. Work on the new station/store is expected to begin later this year.