Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1442847
19 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 17, 2022 CohnReznick's cannabis industry professionals can help you drive growth and protect assets through a range of operational, fi nancial, tax, and compliance solutions. With extensive experience in emerging markets and a long history of social advocacy, we can provide your business with: • Technical excellence • Resources when and where you need them • Industry insights specifi c to growth markets GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH CONFIDENCE Let's get going. Learn more at cohnreznick.com/cannabis "We focused on transit-oriented economic development," Cressotti said. "And I think that aligns with how the governor sees things going." The town and state Department of Transportation collaborated on location and design plans, and Enfield town staff proposed a smaller, more workable layout that ultimately allowed the project to move forward, according to Tereso. In April 2021, engineers from DOT unveiled their working concept, which includes a single-sided, heated platform that will accommodate northbound and southbound trains. Passengers will be able to buy tickets from on-site automated vending machines. A utility building will also go up, and though it will not accommodate people, it will have an overhang, allowing passengers to stay out of the rain or snow. Some metered parking will be built at the platform, and the town is now in discussions with the owner of Bigelow Commons, a nearby apartment building, to make more parking spaces available. 'If you build it, they will come' Cressotti said Enfield will seek to capitalize on the new rail service by working with developers to repurpose vacant or underused buildings in the immediate area as apartment complexes or mixed-use developments. Early plans will focus on North Main Street and the site of the Angelo Lamagna Activity Center, which was put up during the first wave of urban renewal projects in the area. And plans to rehabilitate the area extend beyond housing. The town has secured a $1.2 million grant to help revitalize a performing arts center at 100 High St., the home of the Opera House Players, a nonprofit community theater group. Additionally, the town is eyeing a redevelopment of Higgins Park, also in Thompsonville, that would expand recreational options there, including a new basketball court and swimming pool. The end goal, the mayor said, is to make the area attractive to Millennial workers, who in turn could draw businesses, such as restaurants, cafes and shops, to downtown Thompsonville. "It will fuel small businesses coming into town," he said. "People can walk to shops and connect to transport." And as that process continues, Cressotti hopes, the neighborhood will begin to rebuild its middle class to further stabilize the local economy and keep the revitalization going. "They say, if you build it, they will come," he said. "And that's what we're hoping will happen. Enfield has wanted this for a number of years and it's finally becoming a reality." General Land area (sq. miles) 33 Median age 41 Population 42,141 Median household income $79,730 Unemployment rate 4.3% Government Total revenue (2018) $144,915,038 Per capita tax $2,006 Mill rate 34.23 Grand List $2,935,378,717 Housing Stock Median home value $190,400 Median rent $1,159 Major Employers Eppendorf Inc. Empower Retirement PTR - Precision Technologies Economy Top employment industries Employers Employment Avg. Wage Retail Trade 2,890 175 $34,852 Health Care & Social Assistance 2,104 144 $43,639 Finance & Insurance 1,949 47 $117,747 Source: AdvanceCT By The Numbers: Enfield