Hartford Business Journal

October 19, 2020

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4 Hartford Business Journal • October 19, 2020 • www.HartfordBusiness.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Annual subscriptions are $84.95. To subscribe, visit HartfordBusiness.com, email hartfordbusiness@cambeywest.com, or call (845) 267-3008. ADVERTISING For advertising information, please call (860) 236-9998.Please address all correspondence to: Hartford Business Journal, 15 Lewis Street, Suite 200, Hart ford CT 06103. STAY CONNECTED For breaking and daily Greater Hartford business news go to: www.HartfordBusiness.com HBJ on Twitter: @HartfordBiz HBJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HartfordBiz HBJ on Linkedln: www.linkedin.com/company/the-Hartford-Business-Journal Daily e-newsletters: HBJ Today, CT Morning Blend: www.hartfordbusiness.com/enewsletters Tel: (860) 236-9998 Fax (860) 570-2493 Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Hartford Business Journal P.O. Box 330 Congers, NY 10920-9894 www.copyright.com HartfordBusiness.com (860) 236-9998 Hartford Business Journal (ISSN 1083-5245) is published weekly, 28x per year — including two special issues in November and December — by new England Business Media, LLC, 15 Lewis Street, Suite 200, Hartford, CT 06103. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, CT and at additional entry points. Peter Stanton | CEO, pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com Tom Curtin | President, ext. 124, tcurtin@hartfordbusiness.com Mary Rogers | COO/CFO, mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com EDITORIAL Greg Bordonaro | Editor, ext. 139, gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com Matt Pilon | News Editor, ext. 143, mpilon@hartfordbusiness.com Beats: Real Estate/Economic Development, Energy, Startups & Entrepreneurs, Banking & Finance, and Government Liese Klien | Web Editor, ext. 127, lklien@hartfordbusiness.com Beats: Health Care and Bioscience Sean Teehan | Staff Writer, ext. 145, steehan@hartfordbusiness.com Beats: Manufacturing, Law, Technology, Higher Education, and Transportation Tim Doyle | Lead Researcher Heide Martin | Research Assistant Steve Laschever | Photographer BUSINESS Tom Curtin | Publisher, ext. 124, tcurtin@hartfordbusiness.com Donna Collins | Associate Publisher, ext. 121, dcollins@HartfordBusiness.com Christina Zuraw | Events Coordinator, ext. 134, czuraw@hartfordbusiness.com David Hartley | Senior Accounts Manager, ext. 130, dhartley@HartfordBusiness.com Zac Macinnes | Senior Accounts Manager, ext. 133, zmacinnes@HartfordBusiness.com Daniel Schilke | Senior Accounts Manager, ext. 135, dschilke@HartfordBusiness.com Valerie Clark | Director of Audience Development, ext. 332 Jill Coran | Human Resources Manager PRODUCTION Christopher Wallace | Art Director, ext. 147, cwallace@HartfordBusiness.com Joe Zwiebel | Founding Publisher But even with that anticipated growth, the company likely won't need the entire LEGO space. Antonacci said USA Hauling hopes to lease some of the building — which LEGO reno- vated in 2011 — to other companies, perhaps for coworking space. It may also offer up some of the footprint for environmental and waste conferences and continuing-education events. "I think this would be a little bit one-of-a-kind," Antonacci said of the envisioned mix of facilities at USA Hauling's new property, which will un- dergo some renovations in the coming months. Other challenges, opportunities Enfield is updating its plan of conservation and development, a local visioning process the state requires of municipalities every 10 years in order for them to remain eligible for certain funding. Such studies examine potential ways to re- use and repurpose key commercial properties, which in Enfield will include the MassMutual campus and the recently acquired and strug- gling Enfield Square Mall. Lauren Whitten, Enfield's director of develop- ment services, said the town, which has hired a consultant to help modernize its zoning codes, is "very pro-development and pro-business." "We want to be a partner with any business and we want to be able to help in any way we can," Whitten said. However, some property owners are more collaborative than others. Whitten said Namdar Realty Group, which paid $11.4 million last year for the Enfield Square Mall (a property that changed hands for $82 million in 2006), has been regularly in touch with town officials about ways to revitalize the shop- ping center, which has lost some key tenants in recent years. There are some stores and a movie theater open today, with a new gym in the works. Town communication with MassMutual, Enfield's biggest taxpayer in recent years, has been a different story. Whitten, who was hired two years ago after holding a head planning position in East Wind- sor, said she's attempted to contact the insurer to discuss any progress in marketing its 66- acre campus, or any potential reuse concepts. "I have not been able to get a hold of any particular person," Whitten reported. For now, the 435,000-square-foot MassMutu- al campus, which the life insurer bought in 2004 for $27.5 million, appears vacant, she said. "We would love to see the building full of em- ployees and vibrant," she said. "Most of those employees, if they didn't eat on campus, visited local stores and the restaurants in town." She's doubtful about another large of- fice tenant taking over the entire campus. A mixed-use redevelopment with a housing component may be warranted. MassMutual spokeswoman Chelsea Haraty said that 95% of its Enfield employees have been telecommuting since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to do so into the first quarter of 2021. "As for interest in the Enfield campus, we con- tinue to market it for sale and do not have a spe- cific timeline for selling the campus," Haraty said. Besides the LEGO property sale, there are some other bright spots for Enfield, even dur- ing COVID-19, Whitten said. The town is hoping to hear back from the state in the next few months about funding for a new train station along the Hartford Line in its Thompsonville section, which is expected to spur a number of transit-oriented investments nearby. There's also been a healthy level of development and permitting activity this year, including the recent approval of a more than 500,000-square- foot distribution warehouse being developed by Winstanley on North Maple Street. "We continue to move forward, COVID or not, we are working full time and we're extremely busy," Whitten said. "I think we're lucky in that sense." >> Town Profile continued Enfield General Land area (sq. miles) 33 Median age 41 Population 43,120 Median household income $73,494 Unemployment rate 7.9% Educational attainment High school graduate 36% Associate degree 9% Bachelor's or higher 26% Housing stock Median price $185,000 Median rent $1,109 Government Total revenue (2017) $150,890,015 Per capita tax $2,003 Actual mill rate 34.23 Grand List $2,931,233,750 Economy Top employment industries Units Employment Retail trade 180 3,120 Total government 36 2,640 Health care and social assistance 140 2,069 Top taxpayers (2019) Massachusetts Mutual $45.85M Eversource $39.46M Source: AdvanceCT

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