Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1182934
www.HartfordBusiness.com • November 11, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 3 By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com "B uilding boom" is a phrase not often used in Con- necticut as the state's slow-growing economy, fiscal issues and declining population have dampened investment in real estate and other development. But there have been some pock- ets of significant activity. One town that's seen its fair share of develop- ment in recent years is Bloomfield. In fact, the town of nearly 21,000 saw $189.2 million worth of con- struction projects between 2015 and 2017, ranking it 14th among the state's 169 cities and towns in overall investment, beating out much wealthier and/or larger mu- nicipalities including West Hart- ford, Windsor and Glastonbury. "There is a lot of construction going on," said Town Planner Jose Giner. So much so that Bloomfield has had to add three full-time build- ing inspectors over the last five years to keep up with all the work. Another hire could be on the way. The list of recently completed Bloomfield projects, which has exceeded the town's expectations, includes both commercial and resi- dential developments, Giner said. They include: hundreds of new apartment units; the $73 million Niagara Bottling Co. plant; Trader Joe's 690,000-square-foot, nearly $80-million distribution center, which has brought with it about 800 jobs; a newly built corporate headquarters for manufacturer Deringer-Ney Inc.; a multimillion- expansion of the Seabury Home re- tirement community, among others. And, there are more projects in the development pipeline, headlined by health insurer Cigna Corp.'s plans to invest $90 million-plus to renovate its Cottage Grove Road corporate headquarters and Swiss industrial- power/technology conglomerate ABB Group's decision to establish its North American product-develop- ment center in a recently purchased 84,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at 45 Griffin Road South. Meantime, the next phase of a town center apartment development could soon get underway. The first phase of that project — construction of the 215-unit Heirloom Flats luxury apartments — was wildly successful, Up Front Continued on page 4 >> TOWN PROFILE: BLOOMFIELD Bloomfield sees steady development boom Bloomfield Town Planner Jose Giner stands in front of a busy construction site. PHOTO | HBJ FILE What Can We Do For You? 860.871.1111 www.nemsi.com 55 Gerber Road East, South Windsor, CT 06074 For over 50 years, clients have counted on NEMSI for: HVAC, Plumbing and Process Piping | Electrical Services Energy Management Systems | LEED Certification Programs Design-Build Construction | 24/7/365 Emergency Response Comprehensive Preventive Maintenance Programs NEMS's Recent Awards Include: » ABC Platinum Safety Award » ABC Accredited Quality Contractor (ABC-AQC) » ABC Excellence in Construction Award » ABC Specialty Contractor of the Year » Contracting Business First Place Design/Build Award License #s: E1-0125666 • S1-302974 • P1-203519 F1-10498 • SM1-192 • MC-1134 Offices in: New London | Trumbull | Pawtucket, RI Palmer, MA | Manchester, NH | Albany, NY So You Can Focus On Your Business We focus on your facilities ES_NEMSI HBJ Hlf pg_191010.indd 1 10/10/19 1:45 PM