West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, center, cuts the ribbon to mark the grand opening of New England’s first 7-Eleven restaurant complex at 480 Sawmill Road in West Haven on Thursday. With Rossi are, from left, city Planning and Zoning Commissioner Steven R. Mullins, developer Jed Hayes, 7-Eleven Area Leader Vipin Sachdeva, Store Leader Keith Callahan, Restaurant Leader Dawn Maclulo, Executive Assistant to the Mayor Louis P. Esposito Jr., state Rep. Treneé McGee, Councilman Gary Donovan, city Economic Development Commission Chairwoman Christine Gallo and Councilwoman Colleen O’Connor. The 5,635-square-foot complex has a gas station and two counter-service restaurants. (Contributed Photo/Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce)

7-Eleven opens Northeast’s 1st restaurant complex in city

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 1, 2022 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi cut a red ribbon Thursday to mark the grand opening of New England’s first 7-Eleven restaurant complex in West Haven.

Rossi, sporting a pair of oversize scissors, was accompanied by a delegation of 7-Eleven developers and managers and city and state leaders to celebrate the new 5,635-square-foot complex, anchored by a gas station and two counter-service restaurants, on West Haven’s bustling Sawmill Road retail corridor, just off Interstate 95’s Exit 42.

Rossi, standing in front of the complex’s main entrance with developer Jed Hayes of project co-developer and landlord SullivanHayes of Farmington, issued a mayoral citation welcoming the 7-Eleven restaurant concept to 480 Sawmill Road, the former site of a Staples office supply store.

“We are delighted that 7-Eleven has selected West Haven’s Sawmill Road for its flagship dual-restaurant concept store,” said Rossi, reading the citation to the gathering of officials, moments before snipping the ribbon. “Our city’s business community continues to thrive and lead because we have great businesses and great owners.”

Hayes said, “We are so excited to open this first 7-Eleven dual-restaurant concept store in New England and are delighted to bring it to West Haven.”

The Staples site, formerly owned by West Haven Mall LLV, was demolished in 2021 after sitting vacant since 2006. The 3-acre property was purchased by Saw Mill WH LLC for $3.6 million in June 2021.

SullivanHayes chose West Haven’s Sawmill Road for a 7-Eleven development because of the area’s dense population and high visibility from I-95.

“Overall, the site really makes for the perfect convenience store location,” Hayes said. “It sits right along I-95 at an off-ramp with visibility to over 125,000 vehicles per day.”

Home to the Slurpee brand of carbonated slushies, the 24-hour convenience store has 20 pumps that dispense 7-Eleven-brand fuel and two in-store restaurants that are owned and operated by 7-Eleven Inc. of Dallas: Laredo Taco Co., an authentic Mexican quick-service eatery, and Raise the Roost Chicken & Biscuits.

“This evolution store is the first location of its kind in the country to have both new restaurant concepts in a single location,” Hayes said.

The restaurants, offering made-to-order and grab-and-go options, are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and have seating for 36 customers.

Hayes said the complex has a 38-space parking lot and more than 40 employees.

The Sawmill Road 7-Eleven joins a long-standing 7-Eleven store at 1089 Campbell Ave.

Among the state and city leaders accompanying Rossi and speaking were Rep. Treneé McGee, D-West Haven, and Economic Development Commission Chairwoman Christine Gallo.

They were joined by Rossi Executive Assistant Louis P. Esposito Jr., city Planning and Zoning Commissioner Steven R. Mullins, and City Council members Victor M. Borras, D-8, Robert Bruneau, D-9, Gary Donovan, D-at large, and Colleen O’Connor, R-at large.

They were also joined by a contingent of area business officials, including Michael Moses, the president of the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Simon McDonald, the chamber’s director of membership and marketing.

West Haven tree planting initiative highlighted at confab

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 1, 2022 — (Pictured): Tree Warden Leo Kelly gives a brief presentation on the city’s budding tree planting initiative at the Connecticut Urban Forest Council’s annual conference at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington on Wednesday.

Kelly discussed the city’s use of a $10,000 grant from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to plant trees along Kelsey Avenue.

The project aims to create a greenway covering sidewalks from the West Haven train station to Savin Rock Beach.

With help from Kelly’s “tree tenders,” he and the volunteer group hope to plant more trees around the city and inspire more residents to get involved.

To become a tree tender, email whtree@westhaven-ct.gov. For information and updates, go to the group’s Facebook page at WH Tree Tenders.

(City Photo/Olivia Bissanti)

West Haven heralds launch of state’s largest food-to-clean-energy program

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 1, 2022 — The city is “excited” to launch the largest food scrap co-collection program in the history of Connecticut, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi announced.

Starting Nov. 7, West Haven will be the first city in the state to offer a citywide curbside food scrap diversion option to all single-family residents.

Rossi said the program will allow all single-family homes — one, two and three families — to easily separate food scraps and have them collected at the curb in the same container now used for residents’ trash collection.

West Haven and 15 other municipalities have received a Sustainable Materials Management grant from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to develop and launch food-to-clean-energy programs.

Food scrap diversion programs are critical in addressing the state’s waste disposal crisis, said Grant Coordinator Doug Colter, who secured the funding for the city.

Colter said Connecticut is facing a solid waste disposal crisis, as traditional options for disposing of municipal solid waste are diminishing or becoming more expensive. With fewer and rapidly aging disposal options in the state, residents and municipal leaders can expect disposal costs to increase at the remaining waste incineration facilities “as well as out-of-state landfilling,” he said.

“Thirty-five percent of what residents throw away is organic material — food scraps and yard waste — that can be diverted for composting anaerobic digestion to create clean energy,” Colter said.

The West Haven Food to Clean Energy program, funded by a $1.3 million DEEP SMM grant, will launch a nine-month pilot project for curbside food scrap diversion starting Nov. 7. Participation in the program comes at no cost to the 16,000 eligible households.

Colter said the funding will cover the purchase of special color-coded bags for trash and for food scrap separation for the nine-month pilot. It will also cover the cost of educational materials — mailers, a website and a Connect mobile app — along with personnel to sort the bags and the shipment of food scraps to Quantum Biopower in Southington, where the food will be converted into clean electricity, he said.

“We are very excited for West Haven to be leading the way in Connecticut with this innovative, free food-to-clean-energy collection program,” Rossi said. “The DEEP SMM grant allows 16,000 eligible households the opportunity to participate in a program that can have a positive and significant financial and environmental impact for our city. I am encouraging all eligible residents to pick up their free bags and to participate in this important program to show that sustainability programs should be accessible to everyone.”

Starting this week, West Haven residents will receive a mailer with information on the program, instructions to download the Connect app, and locations and times to pick up their free nine-month supply of green and orange bags.

Residents can pick up the free bags at the following locations, dates and times:

— Stop & Shop, 460 Elm St., West Haven, through Nov. 6, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

— Family Dollar, 163 Boston Post Road, West Haven, through Nov. 6, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

— Family Dollar, 1055 Boston Post Road, West Haven, through Nov. 6, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

— ShopRite, 259 Bull Hill Road, Orange, through Nov. 6, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

More details at Food Scrap Recycling.

Informational Materials

The Downsizing Donation Guide: A Resource for Residents of New Haven County (PDF)

What’s In? What’s Out? A Guide to Recycling (PDF)

SCRCOG holding Zoom meeting for disaster planning Nov. 7

SCRCOG holding Zoom meeting to discuss disaster planning Nov. 7

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 24, 2022 — The 15 municipalities in south-central Connecticut, with the help of the South Central Regional Council of Governments, are preparing an update to the region’s Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The plan names natural hazards and their potential impacts to each community, including West Haven. It then identifies activities each community may take to mitigate identified risks.

The plan makes each city and town eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency pre-disaster funding. The grant money may be used for projects that mitigate risk to vulnerable residents, build resilient infrastructure and transit systems, and protect the natural environment.

The plan is each community’s tool to prevent damage from natural hazards. Take the opportunity to voice any concerns and share ideas on a Zoom meeting from 6-7 p.m. Nov. 7.

For more information, read the full SCRCOG News Release.

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