Town of Wethersfield

200 Silas Deane Highway - Rocky's Ace Hardware

A grand opening and ribbon cutting was held on Friday April 13.

312 Silas Deane Highway - Office Use - Insurance Agency

Construction and renovation is underway to convert this residential building into a small insurance firm.

1695 Berlin Turnpike - 5th Avenue Motel

Plans have been approved for the construction of a second building at this site to accommodate an additional 11 rooms. Plans were reviewed and approved by the PZC in April.

TD BankNorth - Wells Road

This project was approved by the PZC in October of 2006 and is now under construction. The Bank will operate out of a temporary trailer while the renovation and addition to the building is complete.

Comstock Ferre and Co. - Main Street

Applications to HDC and PZC have been submitted for the demolition of the rear portion of the building to accommodate the creation of a mixed use retail-office and residential project and a new building fronting on Church Street is also planned. HDC is reviewing the application and it has been tabled to May and the PZC will review in June.

Harris Property - Old Reservoir Road/Back Lane

Preliminary plans have not yet been submitted. A meeting was held in April with the developer to discuss permit issues.

1912 Berlin Turnpike - Office Buildings

The Building Official has ordered the demolition and clean up of this site by the end of March. The property owner has submitted plans for the construction of 2 small office buildings with approximately 5,000 square feet of space. Design Review will review the proposal again in May.

86 Maple Street - Automotive Repair

An application has been approved by the Commission to renovate this space for an automotive repair garage.

1260 Silas Deane Highway - Hartford Hospital

An inland wetlands application has been filed including plans to expand the existing building to accommodate the growing needs of this medical facility.

7 Rail Road Place

Working with the new owner of this site on permit issues related to a proposed gift and coffee shop.

657 Silas Deane Highway - Brook's Pharmacy

A new signage program has been approved to convert this pharmacy to a Rite Aid Pharmacy.

Porch and Patio - 896 Silas Deane Highway

A foreclosure auction was held on February 10 and we have had several meetings with the high bidder. Interested in tax incentive and façade funding in order to support the project. An application for design review approval and a façade application have been filed by Pelton's Home Health Care.

Progress Drive

Concept plan has been submitted to rezone this site for multifamily development. The PZC discussed this plan at their April 4 meeting.

Goff Brook Shops - Silas Deane Highway

Spoke with developer representative about possible free standing restaurant use for this site.

Berlin Turnpike - Developer Interest

Met with developer representative looking for retail opportunities of the Berlin Turnpike.

Wethersfield Shopping Center - Retail Interest

Spoke with representative regarding the leasing of space in this shopping center.

1000 Silas Deane Highway - Former Weight Watchers

Responded to 2 inquiries regarding the redevelopment potential of this site. Both were retail inquiries.

Berlin Turnpike - Multi Family Development

Met with developer representative looking at site for multifamily development opportunity.

Silas Deane Highway - Sipperstein's

Met with business owner interested in acquiring this property for retail use.

Former Fire House Grill - Silas Deane Highway

Received an inquiry about the possible demolition of this building for a new restaurant.

Porter and Chester Building - Silas Deane Highway

Spoke with a developer looking at this site for a retail use.

Silas Deane Highway Revitalization Program

• Continue to meet with property owners interested in the façade program. Met with 5 business/property owners about the program during the past month. Continuing to administer the first 2 grants we have committed to. Received 1 new application this month.
• Distributed copies of the intersection plans to all affected property owners in order to discuss any potential issues.

Economic Development and Improvement Commission

• EDIC members have signed up for business visits with the new businesses that have started up in Town over the past 3 years. We have identified approximately 90 businesses to visit in this first phase.

Tourism

• Working with CTM to place an ad in their seasonal publication "What To Do" in Connecticut. This publication is free and is distributed at several hundred locations in the State.
• Working on a promotional piece for the Trolley and working on a promo piece for use with Convention planners.

Redevelopment Agency

• The Agency has narrowed down its focus to a couple of development projects and made a presentation to Council at a special meeting on April 10.
• A meeting was held on April 9 in Stamford, CT to visit and learn about recent redevelopment initiatives in that City.
• Attempting to schedule a joint meeting with Redevelopment/EDIC/PZC to discuss redevelopment issues and potential sites.
• Beginning the process to contact private property owners about the Redevelopment Agency.
• Met with representatives from the Postal Service to discuss possible involvement in the redevelopment plans.

Preserve America

• An additional public forum for residents will be held On Thursday May 3 with the JMA staff.

Newington Projects - Route 175 - Status

• Lowe Manufacturing - Corner of 175 and Russell Rd., mixed use project, hotel/restaurant/bank, retail, as of last night the gas station application was pending in front of the PZC and concerns regarding traffic flow and impacts were still a big issue. This application has also been appealed to court.
• Cedar Mountain/Reno - office park - no change, denied by Commission on Dec 20, 2006.