Connecticut Studios said Friday it will break ground this spring on its $71 million state-of-the-art motion picture and television studio in South Windsor.
The project earlier in the week received unanimous approval from the South Windsor Planning and Zoning Commission, clearing the way for construction on the project in the I-291 Gateway Zone at the intersection with Route 5.
A groundbreaking ceremony is expected to take place in late May or early June, with construction beginning shortly after, officials said.
Construction manager dck north America, based in Pennsylvania, is currently soliciting bids for construction of four studio buildings, a mill building, and related site improvements.
Connecticut Studios is a partnership between California-based Pacifica Ventures, and Halden Acquisition Group in Rhode Island. The companies were drawn to Connecticut because of the state’s tax incentive program for digital media and film.
They are also receiving other state and municipal aid.
“We are confident that South Windsor is the right place for us to build a successful world class production and post production facility,” said Hal Katersky, a developer of Connecticut Studios. “The town and the state have demonstrated that they believe in the economic benefits Connecticut Studios will bring to the state and have created an opportunity for Connecticut to become a major East Coast hub for film and television production.”
Ralph Palumbo, chief financial officer of Connecticut Studios, said the company invested more than $2 million during the planning and approval phase of the project.
He said the company expects to complete the first phase of construction and to begin loading its first productions into the facility by the end of the year.
The construction of the studio is expected to create 400 to 500 construction-related jobs, generating about $6 million in new employment and sales tax revenues for the state, Palumbo said.
Once fully operational, the studio will support about 1,650 production-related union jobs per year paying an average salary of $68,200 and generating approximately $112.5 million in additional Connecticut payroll, Palumbo said.
In addition, 54 full time studio facility jobs paying an average salary of $37,500 and generating approximately $2.4 million in payroll are anticipated.
“This project is creating good jobs and long-term economic benefits for both the town and for the state,” said Matthew B. Galligan, town manager of South Windsor.
Planned facilities for Connecticut Studios include:
- Eight sound stages totaling approximately 160,000 square feet of space
- A 30,000 square-foot digital media/post-production center
- Approximately 104,000 square feet of support space and administrative offices
- Approximately 75,000 square feet of mill and storage facilities
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Construction management for Connecticut Studios is being provided by dck north America. Thomas Gribbin, of Noyes Vogt Architects in Chester is the project’s lead architect. Engineering services are being provided by Massachusetts-based Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., with an office in Middletown, and Rhode Island-based Gaskell Associates.
