KCH Trading Inc. is seeking approval to reuse the roughly 104,700-square-foot building at 1000 Silas Deane Highway as a bulk-oriented grocery operation.
Wethersfield's Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday is scheduled to hold a public hearing on a proposal to convert a long-vacant industrial building on the Silas Deane Highway into a warehouse-style supermarket.
KCH Trading Inc. is seeking approval to reuse the roughly 104,700-square-foot building at 1000 Silas Deane Highway as a bulk-oriented grocery operation. The property, a former food-processing and distribution facility on about 3.5 acres, has been partly vacant in recent years.
Town planning records show the site has been the subject of zoning enforcement actions dating back to 2022, when officials determined the building was being used for food storage and retail sales not permitted under the existing zoning. Earlier efforts to legalize the use were withdrawn because the use was not allowed at the time.
Last year, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a zoning change creating a “warehouse supermarket” category intended to allow reuse of large, older industrial buildings along the Silas Deane corridor, with modified parking requirements.
The current application is the first filed under that regulation for this property.
Applicant materials say the store would serve both households and restaurants, with many restaurant customers buying in larger volumes and some deliveries handled by company trucks. Most customer visits are expected during mid-day hours, according to the application.
Plans also call for site and building upgrades.
KCH Trading purchased the property in 2021 for $1.6 million, according to land records. State business filings list the company’s principal, Tianxian Zhang, with a New York business address, and project materials say he previously operated a similar warehouse-style supermarket on Long Island.
The warehouse was built in 1975.
The hearing is scheduled for the Planning and Zoning Commission’s Feb. 3 meeting at 7 p.m.
