Trader Joe’s is considering locating a $78.5 million regional distribution facility in Bloomfield and bringing with it 675 new jobs, a prospect the town mayor welcomed Thursday.
“The interest is mutual,” said Mayor Joan A. Gamble. “What they’re asking for and what we’re willing to do is up to negotiations but the idea of bringing in such a huge number of jobs is very good. They’re entry and upper-level jobs and Trader Joe’s is an outstanding company.”
In a Nov. 29 letter to the town planner, George A. Tobjy, managing director for New York City-based KPMG, said the grocer is weighing possible locations for the facility in Connecticut and New York. The project would encompass a 690,000-square-foot warehouse, which will include 90,000 square feet of frozen food storage, some light manufacturing including cheese cutting and produce packaging, the letter states.
Bloomfield is on a growth spurt, but this would just add to favorable local economy, Gamble said.
The company is seeking a 100 percent property tax abatement for seven years, among other considerations, from Bloomfield, a possible sticking point, Gamble said.
“They want 100 percent for the entire abatement period,” Gamble said. “That to me would be very difficult to handle. We’ll have to do a little back-and-forth negotiating on that and see what they’re willing to give up. Our policies are more stringent and take into account some of the objections from the public [over tax abatements granted to the Niagara bottling plant],” she said.
