NORTH HAVEN — Amazon officials are contemplating a redesign of the planned distribution center at the former Pratt & Whitney site that shrinks the overall footprint, but adds interior mezzanine space.
Amazon has approval to build an 855,000 square-foot warehouse and distribution center at 415 Washington Ave. (Route 5) that would yield 1.2 million square feet in floor space to ceiling. The investment in the land and construction is estimated to be about $129 million and the personal property, including robotics, is estimated to add $130 million, according to town records. But the retail giant is taking a second look at its plans and is contemplating a 655,000-square-foot redesign that would yield 1 million square feet in space. Part of the redesign includes adding refrigeration components, said First Selectman Michael Freda.
“I’ve been working with the owner and development company as they make a final decision,” Freda said. Richard LoPresti, chairman of the town’s Economic Development Commission, said he feels the potential redesign is a positive because it will generate more revenue on taxable equipment inside the warehouse. LoPresti and Freda speculated that the refrigeration space could be related to Amazon’s recent acquisition of Whole Foods.
Amazon is working with Texas-based Hillwood Investment Properties on real estate and development since it first announced a distribution expansion in 2013. Representatives from Hillwood could not be reached for comment. The building is owned by Rabina Properties, who bought it in 2001 and signed a lease with Amazon in June.
Freda said Amazon could stick with the 855,000-square-foot warehouse or move forward with the redesign, which would require Planning and Zoning Commission approval. Freda expects a decision by November. Construction is expected to be completed by summer 2019.
Freda has been dealing with Amazon for two years, helping them with local zoning and other hurdles. The former Pratt & Whitney site was vacant for more than 15 years.
Amazon will receive both local and state incentives for building in North Haven and creating 1,800 new jobs.
To alleviate traffic concerns, the town plans to add a second entrance to the property by extending Valley Service Road to the Amazon site.
In 2008, the town considered extending Valley Service Road to encourage economic development and has $1.6 million in federal funding and $600,000 in town funding for the work.
“We are working with the state Department of Transportation and U.S. Army Corps to get the road onto the Amazon site,” Freda said. “They are all parallel projects. All of the parts will happen at the same time.”
LoPresti said the access road is also a plus for the town and Amazon. Delivery trucks won’t need to travel busy Washington Avenue to access Amazon’s loading docks and employees coming from the south can also avoid Route 5 traffic. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Deputy Director of Public Works James Horbal announced the town is contemplating a project for the rehabilitation of the following bridges: 1. Worthington Ridge over Mattabesset River, 2. Berlin Street over Mattabesset River, 3. Wildermere Road over Belcher Brook, and 4. Heritage Drive over Stockings Brook.
The bridge rehabilitation project would receive federal funds under the Federal Local Bridge Program, administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. If undertaken, the project design would be expected to begin in early 2018, with construction likely in 2018 or 2019.
Horbal points out that local and state policy encourages early input from citizens on such projects, and encourages people to raise any concerns with the projects with municipal officials early in the planning process. For more information, contact James Horbal at 860-828-7069. The cost of the bridge rehabilitation would receive 80 percent reimbursement from federal aid, with the remaining 20 percent provided by municipal funds. The federal aid for the project was authorized under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) administered by the Federal Highway Administration, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
Construction and engineering teams met with town staff on Wednesday to discuss the plans, said Jonathan Reiner, Groton’s director of planning and development services.
The town is reviewing the building permit application and expects to issue the permit by Tuesday at the latest, inspection services manager Kevin Quinn said Friday. The developer also must obtain a state permit related to traffic, as plans call for maintaining two-way traffic on West Main Street, but shifting it temporarily to the south side of the road, he said.
Historic Mystic LLC, which has owned the property at 18-22 West Main St. since 2004, plans to build a four-story structure over the water, with six retail stores on the first floor and 12 two-bedroom condominiums on the second, third and fourth floors. New England Marine Construction installed steel pylons and built the concrete base for the structure, beginning last summer and finishing in the winter. The developer plans to have the shell of the building complete by September, Quinn said.
“It’s going to be a beautiful building,” Quinn said, adding that all seems in order with the permit. “Everybody’s anxious to see this get going and we don’t want to hold this up. Time is money.” Crews would use a crane to lift steel beams and build the frame of the building’s first floor, which could be completed in about three days’ time, Quinn said. Once the steel frame is complete, crews would waterproof the outside and work on the deck for the structure. The upper floors would be constructed with wood frame, Reiner said.
"It's a very complex project and a very financially challenging project, and that has been a major issue with the delay," said Todd Brady, a Mystic developer and former chairman of Downtown Mystic Merchants. "That (combined) with the financial crisis in 2008 and all that that entailed slowed things down. But I guess we're at the point now where we're going to actually see some steel coming off the concrete foundation."
The building will add another element to downtown growth, he said.
"It's been a big hole in our downtown streetscape for so many years and downtown has got maybe one empty space at this time. We've seen a lot of progress and movement — new restaurants, retail establishments — and I think this will just add to that and just create a more seamless visual downtown," Brady said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE