🔒Development projects sprout up along Cheshire’s Highland Avenue

A new day care center is sprouting up on one of the last vacant lots on Highland Avenue in Cheshire’s town center.

The Learning Experience, a Florida-based early learning center, will soon occupy a new single-story, 10,000-square-foot space at 425-435 Highland Ave., that’s currently under construction.

The property was sold for $900,000 in September by JAD Partners LLC and principals David and Jonny Feldman and Amit Desai, according to town records.

The new owner is Avon-based Cheshire Highland LLC and principal Eric Spungin, who said he had The Learning Experience as a client and has been looking for an ideal spot for a new center for more than a year.

The Weissman family started The Learning Experience in 1980 with one location in Boca Raton, Fla. Now, there are more than 300 locations throughout the U.S., including several in Connecticut.

Property owner and developer Spungin said he didn’t have Cheshire in mind specifically, but found this location ideal in many ways.

The lot was vacant, and “when it’s a question of economics and location, it’s easier to start without having to demo a property,” he said. “It’s also on a main street, with traffic lights, so those are two more bonus features.”

The property’s zoning was also in place, and no adjustments were needed.

Cheshire Economic Development Director Andrew Martelli said he had been approached by other potential developers for that coveted, long-vacant site, but it’s zoned for professional use, therefore ideas such as a liquor store or fast-food restaurant would not have been allowed.

The area, near the historic center of town, is zoned for professional uses, and the day care center fits in well, Martelli said.

The child-care center will create roughly 20 to 25 jobs, serve more than 150 children and provide services for local families.

“It’s a positive economic move for Cheshire,” Spungin said.

Plans for the 1.26-acre site were approved in July. The new building is currently under construction, with an anticipated summer 2023 opening date.

Appropriate development

The project will transform one of the last vacant plots of land along the coveted Highland Avenue commercial stretch, where a few other projects are underway.

Less than a quarter-mile up the road, a new dental practice building is taking shape.

LH Taylor Properties LLC and principal Amy Vincent purchased 306 Highland Ave., in August 2021, for $700,000 from AICAL LLC and principal Mark Godfrey.

Owners demolished a 1953 building on the 1.3-acre property that housed a nail salon. They are now building a 5,000-square-foot, Colonial-style structure for a dental practice.

Down the road, at 202 Highland Ave., a new Chase Bank branch is also under construction. The 1.4-acre property is owned by Highland Associates LLC of Cheshire and principal Jay H. Brodach.

These projects give a much-needed boost to a few neglected properties in that area, town officials said.

Over the past several years, special development districts have been created to encourage mixed-use projects in other areas of town.

The Ball & Socket Arts project is leading the way in transforming the former factory and the surrounding area on West Main Street with food service, retail, arts and office spaces.

The north end of town, off I-691, is home to a massive new residential, retail and professional area created off a town master plan.

But zoning regulations for Highland Avenue and the center of town have not changed as local officials aim to carefully encourage the appropriate type of development, Martelli said.

“The center of town is still very limited, and there are pretty strict setback requirements,” he said. “But Route 10 has always been open for this type of development. These were lots in need of redevelopment, and we’re not taking any green space out. This is on our main thoroughfare, it’s undeveloped, and we’re making sure the development happening is still within the character of the town.”

Martelli said the strategic approach to appropriate zoning for various parts of town means Cheshire is “getting a lot of quality development, from quality developers, who are willing to work with the town and within the zones.”