Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • July 27, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 3 $6M Simsbury land sale would sink controversial affordable housing development By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com A controversial Simsbury hous- ing development that included an affordable component and has been on the table for more than two decades, would officially be dead if a pending $6-million land sale to a Cal- ifornia-based conservation nonprofit is completed in the months ahead. The Trust for Public Land (TPL), which has been an active acquirer and preserver of land in Connecticut since 1986, is in negotiations to purchase 288 acres of rolling fields and tobacco barns in the northern section of town that would be preserved as farmland and open and recreational space. The property — situated west of Hopmeadow Street, abutting Hoskins and Firetown roads, and near the International Skating Center of Con- necticut — would also pay tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., who worked on Simsbury tobacco fields as a young man during the 1940s. The land is currently owned by commercial landlord Griffin Industri- al Realty Inc., which first proposed its Meadowood residential development in 1999 as a 640-home subdivision that would include around 160 (or 25%) affordable dwellings. The town rejected the project several times, ultimately leading to a prolonged court battle that wasn't settled until almost a decade later, when Simsbury agreed to allow Griffin to proceed with development of 296 homes — including 88 affordable units — as long as it remediated the site. The cleanup was completed in 2014, town records show, but the development never happened. Earlier this year, New York-based Griffin Industrial announced that it was shifting its business model to focus on managing and leasing industrial/warehouse space, which is why the company is seeking to exit the Meadowood residential devel- opment, though it remains an alternative use for the site if the TPL deal falls through, according to Tim Lescallet, Griffin Industrial's senior vice president. "While we believe the sale to the Trust for Public Land is at a price below the value we could have achieved through a development on the land, we are pleased that by working with TPL we can enable a project that will benefit so many con- servation and preservation interests in the community," Lescallet said. Simsbury First Selectman Eric Wellman said he believes the con- servation land purchase will have the support of residents, who will ul- timately be asked to shoulder a third of the purchase price. TPL is asking the town for $2.2 million to help finance the deal. "Being able to preserve in perpe- tuity the look and feel of the north side of town, which has a history of farming, is an incredible opportu- nity," Wellman said. Honor Lawler, a Connecticut project manager for TPL, said the Simsbury Meadowood property appeared on her nonprofit's radar screen about a year ago. Aside from the opportunity to preserve significant open space, the nonprofit was drawn to the land's historic roots, she said. As a student at Atlanta's Morehouse College, civil rights icon King spent two summers working in Farmington Valley tobacco fields, including in Sims- bury farmland, Lawler said. TPL's plans for the site include preserving 3 acres of historic barns and creat- ing an interpre- tive display to honor the civil rights leader and movement. Other plans include preserving: • 138 acres as open space that could be used for new trails; • 24 acres for future athletic fields; • and 117 acres of farmland. "We really think this serves the com- munity through a number of public benefits," Lawler said. Protecting places TPL was founded nearly 50 years ago in San Francisco and has had a presence in Connecticut since 1986. Its mission is to create parks and pro- tect land for public use or conservation. Up Front Continued on page 4 >> TOWN PROFILE: SIMSBURY The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. For over 50 years, our clients have trusted us to deliver end-to-end facilities solutions, so they can focus on their core business. Experts in: Facilities Services, Preventive Maintenance Programs, Onsite Operations & Maintenance NEMSI SERVICE SOLUTIONS INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY. REDUCE COSTS. 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com MECHANICAL | ELECTRICAL | PLUMBING | SHEET METAL | BUILDING AUTOMATION | FACILITIES SERVICES License #'s: E1-0125666 S1-302974 P1-203519 F1-10498 SM1-192 MC-1134 NEMSI HBJ_QtrPg Ads_200117.indd 3 NEMSI HBJ_QtrPg Ads_200117.indd 3 1/17/20 1:31 PM 1/17/20 1:31 PM Nearly 300 acres of undeveloped land in north Simsbury could be preserved as open space if a pending $6-million land deal is finalized. Historic barnes in the proposed Meadowood development site in Simsbury. IMAGE | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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