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2 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 31, 2022 Biz Briefs Editorial Greg Bordonaro | Editor, ext. 139 gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com Zachary Vasile | Web Editor, ext. 128 zvasile@hartfordbusiness.com Beat: Energy Michael Puffer | Staff Writer, ext. 145 mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com Beats: Real Estate, Economic Development, Banking & Finance Robert Storace | Staff Writer, ext. 127 rstorace@hartfordbusiness.com Beats: Health Care, Higher Education, Arts & Culture Skyler Frazer | Staff Writer, ext. 145 sfrazer@hartfordbusiness.com Beats: Manufacturing, Cannabis, Technology, Transportation Tim Doyle | Lead Researcher Heide Martin | Research Assistant Steve Laschever | Photographer Business Tom Curtin | Publisher, ext. 124, tcurtin@hartfordbusiness.com David Hartley | Senior Accounts Manager, ext. 130, dhartley@HartfordBusiness.com Daniel Schilke | Senior Accounts Manager, ext. 135, dschilke@HartfordBusiness.com Emily Paskind | Senior Accounts Manager, ext. 133, epaskind@hartfordbusiness.com Valerie Clark | Director of Audience Development, ext. 332 vclark@nebusinessmedia.com Jill Coran | Human Resources Manager jcoran@nebusinessmedia.com Megan Mason | Events Manager, mmason@hartfordbusiness.com Production Christie Novotny | Production Director, ext. 147 cnovotny@hartfordbusiness.com Peter Stanton | CEO, pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com Tom Curtin | President, ext. 124, tcurtin@hartfordbusiness.com Mary Rogers | COO/CFO, mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com Subscriptions Annual subscriptions are $110.00. 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Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Hartford Business Journal P.O Box 330 Congers, NY 10920-9894 CRDA grants $8.5M to three Hartford projects, including Parkville redevelopments Developer Carlos Mouta on the third floor of a former factory in Hartford's Parkville neighborhood that he plans to renovate. T he Capital Region Development Authority Board of Directors recently approved $8.5 million in loans to three Hartford redevelopments, with the bulk of the money going to projects in the city's Parkville neighborhood. Developer Carlos Mouta is at the head of two projects receiving $7.5 million in financing. The board approved a $4 million loan toward a $4.6 million expansion of Parkville Market, $500,000 of which will convert to a grant once construction is completed. The market is an indoor bazaar of interesting food vendors in a bright, walkable space with indoor and outdoor seating. Mouta opened the market in 2020 following a $5 million conversion of a former lumber yard. Now, Mouta plans to convert a neighboring 34,475-square-foot industrial building. The first floor will feature a bar, distillery and event space. The second will host event space, as well as stalls for five to 10 food vendors. There will also be a rooftop entertainment area. CRDA approved a second, $3.5 million loan – also at 3% interest – for Mouta's planned $72.8 million conversion of the former Whitney Manufacturing site at 237 Hamilton St., into a mix of apartments and commercial space. Mouta plans 189 apartments, including a mix of "micro" units, studios, open lofts, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms. There will also be 86,000 square feet of commercial space. CRDA also approved a $1 million loan to help Paul Khakshouri with a renovation of the façade and elevators at 338 Asylum St., a former Hilton Homewood Suites that Khakshouri has converted into 116 apartments and first-floor retail space. HBJ PHOTO | MICHAEL PUFFER PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Winstanley proposes 819,000-sq.-ft. distribution center in Enfield Winstanley Enterprises is proposing an 819,000-square-foot distribution center in Enfield as the final stage of a redevelopment of the former Hallmark property. Hallmark announced plans to close its 1 million-square-foot distribution center in 2015, trimming more than 500 jobs in the process. Winstanely paid $12 million for the 324-acre property the following year. The company reports spending more than $41 million to renovate two Hallmark buildings on the Bacon Road site. That brought three new tenant companies in 2018. Winstanley also carved off a 200- acre parcel – 35 Bacon Road – for redevelopment. That space is the focus of this final redevelopment push for the Hallmark property. The new distribution center will consist of two tenant spaces of 318,000 and 501,000 square feet, respectively. Two undisclosed companies have signed letters of intent to occupy the new buildings, according to Winstanley spokesman Matthew Watkins. People's United Bank acquisition still waiting on Federal Reserve approval Buffalo's M&T Bank hoped to complete its $7.6 billion acquisition of Bridgeport-based People's United Bank in the fourth quarter of 2021, but the partners are still waiting on approval from the Federal Reserve, People's United officials recently disclosed. In a statement released alongside People's United's fourth-quarter and full-year earnings, executives acknowledged the delay but did not say why the review seems to be stalled. In an earnings call, M&T Bank Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Darren J. King told analysts the bank was "hopeful" it would hear positive news about the deal in the first quarter of this year. M&T Bank also said it recorded $21 million in merger-related expenses in the fourth quarter of 2021, connected to its proposed People's United deal. The two banks in October secured approvals for their linkup from the New York State Department of Financial Services and Connecticut Department of Banking. Massive Amazon warehouse proposed for site in Waterbury and Naugatuck A massive Amazon distribution facility with about 1,000 workers has been proposed for a 163-acre site straddling the Waterbury and Naugatuck border. Officials said that developer Bluewater Property Group, of Conshohocken, Pa., has been selected to develop the site, which is owned by the city of Waterbury. Bluewater was one of two developers to respond to a request for development proposals the city released last year. Officials say the development represents an investment of "hundreds of millions" of dollars. There is still a lot of work left to be done before the project is assured. Bluewater is still exploring site conditions and performing due diligence, officials report. Rob Maffucci Hartford-area chef and restaurateur Rob Maffucci has launched a new venture in Berlin. Vito's Pizza recently debuted at 1863 Berlin Turnpike. The eatery, which offers pizza, fresh pasta and other Italian classics, is takeout only — a response, Maffucci said, to new waves of the coronavirus that have hammered the restaurant industry for close to two years. Since the spring of 2020, he noted, restaurants have gone into a cycle, opening indoor areas when COVID-19 infection rates seem to lull and then moving to takeout- only when the situation gets worse. Limiting operations to takeout from the start will avoid that back-and- forth, he hopes, and allow him to run the restaurant with a smaller staff. Maffucci previously ran V's