NorthPoint proposes 521,886-sq.-ft. warehouse in Bloomfield

Andrew Larson

AMissouri-based company is proposing a 521,886-square-foot warehouse in Bloomfield on property that a construction company now uses for equipment storage and material stockpiling.

NorthPoint Development LLC has applied for a special permit that would allow it construct the warehouse, with 118 loading docks, 206 trailer parking spaces and 361 car parking spaces.

It would sit along West Dudley Town Road, in the town’s industrial section, on roughly 56 acres.

Northpoint, headquartered in Kansas City, submitted the application for a special permit on March 1. It previously received approval from the Inland Wetlands Commission.

A public hearing is set for 7 p.m. Thursday before the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission. It wasn’t immediately clear if a tenant has been signed to occupy the proposed building. 

The property, 60-116 West Dudley Town Road, is owned by CT Valley Properties III LLC, an affiliate of Windsor-based Butler Company. A 15,750-square-foot building that sits on the property would be demolished.

Bloomfield’s director of building and land use, Justin LaFountain, said NorthPoint Development has told town officials it does not have a specific tenant for the warehouse yet.

In 2017, Butler proposed to build a new headquarters for itself on the property, along with a construction storage yard. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the plan. 

However, the town issued a cease-and-desist order after finding that the company was using the property for outside parking, storage and material processing before receiving a building permit.

Butler appealed in Superior Court and reached a settlement agreement with the town.

NorthPoint Development, a privately held real estate development firm specializing in industrial and multi-family development, is also moving forward with a nearly 750,000-square-foot distribution center inside Windsor’s Great Pond Village mixed-use development.

Milford plaza redevelopment plan approved

Hanna Snyder Gambini

Alocal developer is planning a mixed-use revamp of a plaza along Bridgeport Avenue in Milford to include several multi-family buildings and 192 apartments.

The Milford Planning and Zoning Commission in early March approved applicant and owner Casey Associates Limited Partnership of Milford’s proposed regulation change and special permit with site plan review.

The subdivision plan includes splitting 20 acres at 589 Bridgeport Ave. into two parcels.

One lot has two buildings, a fast-food restaurant and pharmacy, which would stay relatively unchanged.

The other parcel, which also has two buildings, would see a more drastic redevelopment.

Plans include partially demolishing part of a smaller building to build a new restaurant. The larger building on that site would be demolished, and six, three-story, multi-family apartment buildings along with a clubhouse, pool and other amenities will be constructed there.

The regulation change application will change the maximum units per acre from 17 to 18, and reduce the minimum amount of land required for multifamily residential buildings from 12 acres to 10 acres.

The retail parcel will have more than 500 parking spaces with 51 electric vehicle charging stations. The residential site will have 357 spaces, with 36 of them for electric vehicles.

The property, co-owned by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Madison Properties, has a total appraised value of $8.7 million.

Norwalk, developer seek input on turning Webster Street parking lot into housing, retail

Karen Tensa

NORWALK — A developer envisions transforming the Webster Street parking lot into a nearly 500-unit apartment complex with a 1,100-space parking garage and retail space for stores. 

But before a shovel hits the ground, the city wants residents — especially those who live in the surrounding South Norwalk neighborhood — to weigh in on the plan to develop the site. 

To that end, the community is invited to a "Webster Street Lot Listening Session" at which officials will gather input from the community. Local and community leaders will attend, along with Brian Bidolli, executive director of the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency. 

"The most essential component of this redevelopment project is gathering public input and feedback to inform the highest and best use of the Webster Lot," said Bidolli. "We want to hear from members of the public about what their priorities are for this redevelopment opportunity as we move from a general concept to an actual development plan." 

The meeting will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, in the Community Room at the SoNo Library at 10 Washington St.  

"This public-private partnership is a smart investment in the heart of South Norwalk and will help our community thrive by generating greater economic opportunities,” Mayor Harry Rilling said.

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Weigh in on Webster Street plans 

The Webster Street lot, a 5-acre city-owned parking lot located at 55 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, would be revitalized under a plan from a developer to add nearly 500 apartments, retail space and office space. 

Local and community leaders are inviting city residents to attend a "listening session" to weigh in on the plans. Residents of South Norwalk — especially those who live near the site — are encouraged to attend. 
        
The meeting will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in the Community Room at the SoNo Library at 10 Washington St., South Norwalk. 

The developer Quarterra will share its vision for the site, which requires about $5 million in brownfield remediation work. The development plans would cost $250 million to $350 million.  

Source: City of Norwalk 

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“The project aims to enhance the community's quality of life by creating spaces for local businesses, expanded parking and housing opportunities close to public transit," he said. "But first we want to hear from the community about what they envision and gather their ideas and feedback.” 

The Webster Street Lot, a 5-acre city-owned parking lot located at 55 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, "represents a significant revitalization opportunity for the South Norwalk community," according to a statement from city spokesperson Michelle Woods Matthews.

The city is interested in exploring the phased mixed-use development project that would "increase parking capacity and serve as a valuable asset and destination for residents and visitors," she said.

The developer, construction firm Quarterra that was formerly known as LMC, will be in attendance to share its vision, which includes housing opportunities, retail spaces for businesses, additional parking and a new green space.   

Gov. Ned Lamont met with local and state leaders last month in Norwalk to promote the site's development and cleanup plans, which carry a price tag of $250 million to $350 million.

In December, the state announced a $2 million grant to improve the Martin Luther King Jr. Corridor and remediate the 5-acre city-owned parking lot. The grant was part of $24.6 million the state distributed to combat blighted properties. 

The remediation and redevelopment will be overseen by the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency.

The overall development costs, including construction of the apartments, would be $250 million to $300 million, Bidolli said, with remediation costs of about $5 million for the site.

“Then we’re looking at about an eight- to 10-month period to actually structure the deal for the city and then about a 24-month construction period,” he said.

While the city requires 10 percent of apartments in a complex to be affordable housing, the agency is striving for 20 percent, Bidolli said.

The first phase of the project would be to assess and develop the parking garage, he said, using the environmental brownfield grant.

It currently includes only city-owned land, but the public outreach will include speaking with adjacent landowners to determine their interest in joining the project.

Quarterra plans for the plot include about 472 affordable mixed-income apartment units, 57,786 square feet of retail space and 25,000 square feet of office space, according to the governor’s statement on the funding.

The state needs to remediate properties in cities, like Norwalk, so new uses can be found for land that is already developed, Lamont said. 

“On brownfields, I know it’s not very sexy and I know the developers would just as soon go build in green fields, (but) we don’t have that many green fields left," he said. "We are trying to protect our open spaces as best we can.”

Former YMCA in Norwich to get new life as construction company headquarters

Claire Bessette

Norwich ― Since 2009, the YMCA has sat vacant and slowly decaying at a key gateway spot on Main Street.

Not for much longer.

The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to transfer ownership of the former YMCA at 337-341 Main St. to Mattern Construction of Baltic for its planned new headquarters and commercial development.

Along with creating its new headquarters, Mattern plans to market excess space in the renovated building for a restaurant or pub. The property is directly across the street from the former Elks Club mansion, being renovated into a boutique hotel.

The deal to convey the property to the ownership company, 337-355 Main Street LLC, combined with a pending financial agreement between the city and the state Department of Economic and Community Development for an approved $2 million state grant, will allow the project to begin.

The city faced a tight deadline to complete the financing agreement with the state by April 6, and that agreement required the property to be transferred to Mattern first, city officials said.

Mattern plans a $4 million to $4.5 million project to do an environmental cleanup, gutting and partial demolition of the former YMCA building and new construction to create the construction company’s new headquarters.

Norwich Public Utilities recently became a third partner in the project. To avoid the prospect of having construction equipment and materials stored and laid out on a prominent Main Street property, NPU agreed to turn over its half-acre property on Erin and White streets in Greeneville to Mattern to serve as the company’s equipment storage and staging area.

“Mattern is a construction company, and they have material they need to store outside,” City Manager John Salomone said. “Nobody thinks they should have construction material stored on Main Street.”

NPU has been using the Erin and White streets properties for more than 25 years as a staging area for utility projects. In 2013, NPU purchased a small storage building for $46,000 to add to the property.

Mattern President Eric Mattern said his company would renovate the rundown warehouse.

“We’re very excited to get started,” Mattern said Tuesday. “The city has been wonderful to work with.”

The city added a $400,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant to the project for the environmental cleanup. Mattern Construction is matching that amount for the cleanup, Salomone said.

Mattern said work should begin this spring, starting with a general cleanup of the YMCA property to improve its appearance. The environmental abatement should be done by fall, when actual construction will begin.

Mattern said having the construction and staging area about a mile from the headquarters does not present any hardships. The split site also frees up more of the Main Street property for potential commercial development.

The transfer puts the former YMCA property on the city tax rolls for the first time in over a century and the Greeneville properties for the first time in at least three decades.

NPU now needs a new staging its for ongoing utility work. NPU also is losing its second project staging area behind the sewage treatment plant to make way for a nearly $200 million overhaul of the plant.

City and NPU officials are examining other city-owned properties that might be suitable for the city-owned utility. Salomone said city officials are not yet ready to identify the site. He was pleased at how the three-way partnership worked out.