Big Y market planned for Middletown

A local real estate investment group is planning to build a new Big Y World Class Market in Middletown.

The application from Stone Point Properties LLC for a 51,890-square-foot Big Y grocery store at 850 South Main St., has been approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Michael Stone of Stone Point said his group is looking to demolish a 42,100-square-foot industrial building and a 1,900-square-foot house at 502-550 Highland Ave.

The new store will have loading docks, 268 parking spaces and electric vehicle charging stations. 

The main entrance and truck delivery entrance would be moved to South Main Street with a widened entrance and new traffic light. 

The industrial building was used as a fleet vehicle storage and maintenance facility for Frontier Communications and the former Southern New England Telephone Co.

SNET sold the 7.3 acre-property to South Main Investors LLC, affiliates of Stone Point Properties, for $1.1 million in a January 2021 deal.

The new store, applicants said, will add 150 permanent new jobs as well as the temporary construction jobs. 

The project will mean a $20 million increase to the city’s grand list, and the new traffic light will improve road safety, applicants said. 

The plan had received Urban Forestry and Wetlands approval before going before Planning and Zoning. 

Provisions of the approval state the project must be completed within five years.