Thursday, September 26, 2019
www.berlincitizen.com
Volume 22, Number 31
Community, senior center proposals sought By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
Proposals for a new community and senior center are being sought by the town, with public land across the street from Berlin High School selected as the ideal location for construction.
A rendering of the mixed use development that would bring five buildings and a boulevard adjacent to the Berlin train station. The project’s site plan and special permit were approved during the Sept. 19 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, where the renderings were displayed. Images courtesy of Newport Realty
PZC approves plan for mixed-use development By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved a site plan and special application for a mixed-use development with five buildings along a new boulevard connecting to the train station on Farmington Avenue.
Architects. He spoke during the commission’s Sept. 19 meeting, when a public hearing on the application was scheduled.
A collective effort between the town and Newport Realty — a joint venture between developers Mark Lovely, of Southington, and Tony Valenti, of Newington — the "We love the scale of the de- project will construct around velopment, it's very build8,400 square feet of retail able. We've worked hard space, 10,800 square feet of with the developer and con- office or medical area and 76 tractor who's going to be market rate apartments on building this. He's prepared vacant town-owned land at to build what we see here to- the former sites of Pioneer day and I'm pleased that Precision Products and we've gotten this far," said Kensington Furniture. project architect Thomas ArThe boulevard, which has cari, principal with QA+M yet to be named, will stretch
from Farmington Avenue across from Brookside Plaza to the northeastern corner of the train station parking lot. The next stage to be completed before construction can begin is acquiring permits from the state Department of Transportation for curb cuts, utility work and drainage along Farmington Avenue, which is a state road. The commission wasn’t expected to vote on the application immediately after the Sept. 19 public hearing, which Valenti said shaves a couple weeks off the process since DOT won’t process permits until local approval has been granted. See PZC, A13
$750,000 grant from the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to get the groundwork of the project started.
Statements of need from the Commission on Aging and the Parks and Recreation Committee said the construction of a new faThe town opened bidding cility would be a boon for on a request for proposals two departments in town for the possible project on that have been operating Aug. 30, with a due date out of shared space for of Oct. 3. Since submisdecades and the thousions will be received sisands of residents they multaneously on the due serve. date, it’s not currently known how many designs The Senior Center has been leasing space from may be pitched. the Berlin Housing AuWhile 12 acres of munici- thority in the former Perpal land between 136 and cival School since it 170 Patterson Way was closed and was retrofitted identified as the preferred in the 1980s, while the location for applicants to Parks and Recreation Delook at, the RFP also men- partment has been opertioned three alternatives: ating out of the lower levthe 10 acres the town el of the library since owns at Pistol Creek, four 1999. acres in front of Sage Park along the Berlin Turnpike In the statement she wrote on behalf of the and eight acres of the Commission on Aging, eastern portion of the Town Hall complex along Chairperson Barbara Kensington Road. Propos- Gombotz noted that the als including the acquisi- current arrangement has tion of private land for de- only held together “through an atmosphere velopment could also be of caring by the Center’s entertained. Director and Assistant DiMayor Mark Kaczynski rector, staff, volunteers said a community center and user members, and has long been a need that by an efficient use of the has been discussed in existing and older undertown, but he’s hopeful sized facility. Even though that the latest effort will the building is well mainprove successful. Backing tained, much of the facilifrom state Rep. Joe Aresimowicz helped lead to a See Proposals, A15