Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1264067
www.HartfordBusiness.com • June 29, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 5 New Britain developer adds 20 downtown apartments A developer has completed a 20-unit apartment conversion of downtown New Britain's historic Andrews building. Avner Krohn, owner of Jasko Development LLC, said his firm recently finished a year-long redevelopment of the upper four floors of the 28,473-square- foot building at 132 Main St. The office-to-apartment conversion adds 20, one-bedroom apartments to New Britain's steadily growing downtown corridor, Krohn said. Several leases have already been signed for a variety of one-bedroom layouts sized 500 square feet to 700 square feet. The first tenants will begin occupancy in early July. Prolific in patents, CT holds No. 4 spot on Bloomberg innovation ranking Connecticut continues to punch above its weight in Bloomberg's ranking of the most innovative U.S. states, placing fourth for the second year in a row. The 2020 U.S. State Innovation Index, released this week, assesses research and development spending as a percentage of gross state product, density of publicly traded tech-intensive companies, gross state product per employee, concentration of science and engineering degree holders, and patent activity. Bloomberg assigned Connecticut an overall score of 82.18 out of 100 in the new index, up from 79.7 in the 2019 ranking and 78 in the 2016 ranking. Connecticut received its strongest score in patent activity, posting the second-highest number of patents awarded per 1,000 science/engineering jobs of any other state. The state again placed eighth in R&D intensity and productivity. Its tech company density rank fell from eighth to 11th. Amazon plans 400,000- sq.-ft. distribution hub in Cromwell Online retail giant Amazon has plans to open another major fulfillment center in Connecticut, this time in Cromwell. Amazon.com Inc. announced plans to open a new, 400,000-square-foot fulfillment center at 120 County Line Drive, creating hundreds of full-time jobs. The planned facility comes after Hartford Business Journal recently reported Amazon's plans to open a $230-million distribution hub in Windsor, which will be the company's second facility in that town. The company also recently announced plans to occupy a vacant Danbury warehouse where it plans to hire up to 400 employees. Amazon currently operates two fulfillment centers in the state in Windsor and North Haven, a sortation center in Wallingford and a delivery station in Bristol. Hartford selling former Braza restaurant building The city of Hartford is seeking buyers for the former two-story Braza restaurant building on Farmington Avenue. Hartford's department of development services recently invited developers and investors to submit proposals to buy and redevelop the city-owned, 4,600-square-foot restaurant building at 488 Farmington Ave. The fair market value of the property, estimated by a 2016 appraisal, is $688,300. Braza, a Brazilian-style eatery, abruptly closed both its Farmington Avenue and Constitution Plaza locations in 2012. Its remaining location in Waterbury closed in 2015. LATEST HEADLINES 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfi eld, CT 06002 (860) 242-8586 | Fax (860) 242-8587 www.pdsec.com PDS ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION, INC. THINK • PLAN • BUILD Spotlight on: Retail Family Dollar | Wethersfi eld, CT Total Project Size: 30,000 SF Another Successful Project by PDS PDS was selected as Design Build General Contractor to renovate the existing 20,000 square foot building and to construct a 10,000 square foot addition. This retail facility includes a Family Dollar and 5 additional tenant spaces for future businesses. Brick veneer and EIFS was a substantial component to the exterior construction of the building. DESIGN BUILDERS • GENERAL CONTRACTORS • CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS New Britain's historic Andrews building now has 20 apartments. This former Braza restaurant building on Farmington Avenue is for sale. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED