NewHavenBIZ

n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | J a n u a r y 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 27 Regional tree business to make Old Saybrook lot new home By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo A long-undeveloped patch of woods seems like a fitting future home for a business with "tree" in its name. SavATree will soon be moving into a new facility now under construction at 1325 Boston Post Road in Old Saybrook. e company provides a variety of tree, shrub and lawn-care services, ranging from tree removal, trimming and pruning to disease diagnosis. Launched in 1978 in New York, it has grown to include operations around the country, including in Bloomfield, New Milford, Norwalk and Old Saybrook here in Connecticut. e new building will be 6,000 square feet, providing ample space for the company's growing Old Saybrook-based operations. Jim Kiely, branch manager with SavATree in Old Saybrook, said the business has been in the shoreline town for about 20 years in the same facility, at 4 Center Road. "We have been lucky to grow, and our current building doesn't suit us," Kiely said. e business spent about two years trying to find a new location to lease. However, company leaders found many properties on the market didn't suit SavATree's unique needs. ey needed plenty of room, not only for a larger building, but to park a fleet of large service trucks, trailers and chippers. e business decided to pursue leasing a new building instead. ey ultimately found the 2.86-acre Boston Post Road site, which is zoned for business use, set back from the busy main road and completely wooded. "It was large enough for the building we wanted," Kiely said. "We enjoy being in Old Saybrook, and we wanted to stay in Old Saybrook." e Provence Land Company LLC of Torrington bought the property for $380,000 in October. Chris Duclos, an industrial specialist with Sentry Commercial, represented Provence Land Co. He helped it search for a suitable location for its client, SavATree, for about seven months before they settled on the Boston Post Road parcel. According to Kiely, SavATree will lease the property from Provence Land Co., which is based at 112 Wall St., Torrington. Provence Land Co.'s principal, Matthew Oneglia, is also a business analyst with O&G Industries, a construction firm based at the same Torrington location. Oneglia said he expects to have the new custom building, which includes office and warehouse space, ready for occupancy in late spring. SavATree expects to move in by July. e new construction is being modeled aer SavATree's existing building at its New Milford location. Penny Parker, a real estate broker with Lyman Real Estate of Westbrook, represented the sellers in the transaction, including Charles E. Adelmann, Kevin P. Kelly and Edward O'Connell. e three prior owners had owned the land since 1988, town records show. Parker had the listing for about a year before it sold. "It is an interior lot, so there wasn't a huge demand," Parker said. "A tree business is fine for that location, because it doesn't need the [streetfront] exposure." e parcel does have some frontage on Boston Post Road, enough for a sign to advertise the business' presence in the back. ere are several restaurants and retail stores in the vicinity. Christina M. Costa, Old Saybrook's zoning enforcement officer, said Provence Land Co. already secured all necessary approvals and permits from land-use officials, including the zoning commission, this fall. e new SavATree office will house up to seven employees, along with a field staff of 12 to 14 workers, according to records on file with the town. SavATree has expanded over the years to include lawn care, tick management, deer deterrence and holiday lighting. It serves a range of clients, including residential customers, office parks, golf courses, municipalities, colleges and universities. *** Mattress Plus LLC of Waterbury has leased a 6,000-square-foot space at 1770 Boston Post Rd. in Milford. e business will sell not only mattresses, but furniture, rugs and home- decor products at the new location. Richard Schnider of True Commercial Real Estate in Westport represented the tenant, and Carl G. Russell, commercial broker with H. Pearce Commercial Real Estate in Milford, represented the landlord. *** Properties at 356-360 State St. in North Haven sold in early December for $750,000. e combined sites total 2.3 acres with 200 feet of frontage on State Street. e parcels have two single-family homes and two commercial buildings, one 2,891 square feet and the other 4,102 square feet. Joel Nesson of Press/Cuozzo Commercial Services represented the seller C & R Enterprises LLC, and procured the buyer 360 State LLC *** J&J Property Enterprises has purchased a 5,590-square-foot industrial building on a .56-acre lot at 19 Atwood Place in West Haven for $302,500. e buyer plans to use the property for a contracting business and overhead garage door company. Fred A. Messore, senior vice president with Colonial Properties Inc. of Orange, was the sole broker in the transaction. *** Carmanta LLC has leased a 1,000-square-foot unit at 2344 Foxon Rd. in North Branford. e business plans to use the space to do automobile detailing and to recondition vehicles for automobile dealers. Terms of the lease were not disclosed. e landlord is Cooper Partners LLC. e Geenty Group, Realtors served as the sole broker in the transaction, with Kevin and Kristin Geenty representing the tenant, and Bill Clark serving as agent for the landlord. n SavATree's building in New Milford. The new facility under construction in Old Saybrook will be similar. W H A T ' S T H E D E A L ? PHOTOS | COURTESY An aerial view of the parcel at 1325 Boston Post Rd. in Old Saybrook. Jim Kiely, branch manager in Old Saybrook

• Cover