A developer is planning to replace a long-vacant former American Steakhouse property in Meriden with a new medical office building.
The city’s Planning Department on May 22 administratively approved a site plan submitted by RIL-Meriden LLC to demolish the vacant 7,188-square-foot former restaurant site at 1170 E. Main St. and construct a new 8,000-square-foot medical office building. The project is planned for a 1.6-acre property in the city’s C-3 commercial zone.
The property is owned by Tartaglia Commercial Properties, which purchased it in 2003 for $500,000, according to property records. RIL-Meriden LLC is controlled by Lorraine Tartaglia, Isabel Tartaglia and Remo Tartaglia Jr.
Plans call for resurfacing portions of the existing parking lot while removing about 1,200 square feet of pavement. The completed development will include 92 parking spaces, including six ADA-accessible spaces, along with new dark-sky-compliant lighting, fencing and utility upgrades.
Planning documents do not identify a future tenant for the building or indicate whether it has been preleased.
According to the application, the medical office is expected to generate less traffic than the restaurant previously located on the site. The project also received inland wetlands approval in February, subject to erosion-control and stormwater maintenance conditions. The administrative site plan approval remains valid through May 22, 2031.
