Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • October 5, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 3 Up Front Newington closer than ever on National Welding site redevelopment By Sean Teehan steehan@hartfordbusiness.com W hen National Welding opened its metal-machin- ing plant on Newington's Cedar Street in 1941, the 3.9-acre parcel was part of a peaking U.S. steel industry, the power center of which was New England. Since the town acquired the prop- erty through a 2008 municipal tax foreclosure, the empty space is a signal of the end of one era, and the possible dawning of another, as Newington seeks a developer that can leverage the plot's proximity to the highway, CTfas- trak bus system and Central Connecti- cut State University, said Newington Town Manager Keith Chapman. However, finding a developer for the property has been a challenge. The site at 690 Cedar St. has stood vacant for nearly three decades, but the town is currently in discussions with devel- opers and could soon announce a deal, said Chapman, who declined to share details about the negotiations. He did share his views on what kind of developments would best gel with the area — residential, office or mixed- use projects are all strong possibilities. Meantime, the town council already has the authority to sell the property to an interested developer, which should help speed the process along once a deal is in place. "All of the planets have lined up for something good to happen that hasn't happened in many years," Chapman said. "It's got a lot of potential." It seems a bit unusual that discus- sions with developers are moving quickly during a pandemic when the property sat vacant for so long, Chapman said. However, brokers say real estate investors are buying up commercial and residential prop- erties as fast as they're becoming available lately. The dynamic might be one of the small silver linings that accompany the pandemic. "I think this COVID-19 has given [real estate investors] kind of an op- portunity," Chapman said. Transit-oriented development The National Welding site is on the far west end of town, located close to CCSU's Stanley Street campus. After obtaining the property in 2008, the town later received a $2-mil- lion grant from the state Department of Economic and Community De- velopment, (DECD) which it used to demolish vacant buildings and clean up the site to make it marketable. The town was previously in dis- cussions with an Albany developer about opening a 120-room hotel on the property, but that never materi- alized. Those discussions occurred in 2018, before Chapman became town manager. "There are options that could be pursued in that location, which would benefit the town and bring grand list growth," Chapman said. "Any of those things would be good for the town." Newington currently has a mill rate of 39.28 and its 2019-2020 grand list totaled $2.6 billion. Like towns across the state, Newington has seen retailers and restaurants close amid the CO- VID-19 pandemic. Pier 1 — currently in bankruptcy — shut down its Newington location, as has the Laser Continued on page 4 >> TOWN PROFILE: NEWINGTON 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 Newington's National Welding site at a glance: Address: 690 Cedar St. Size: 3.9 acres Proximity to: Route 9, Route 175, CTfastrak Original use: Steel manufacturing between 1941 and 1994 Newington's former National Welding site on Cedar Street has been cleared of the industrial buildings shown above and is open to redevelopment. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

• Cover