A planned mixed-use development in Windsor Locks that has been stalled since 2006 can now move forward, as the developer has acquired an option to purchase an abutting piece of property, First Selectman Chris Kervick said today.
Although BDL Real Estate Holding LLC purchased property at the intersection of Route 20 and Ella Grasso Turnpike over a decade ago to develop “Governor’s Station,” which would include residential and commercial space, work couldn’t start because of an access issue caused by a lack of frontage on Ella Grasso Turnpike.
But Kervick said today in a statement that in October, after a year of negotiations, the town acquired an option to purchase a 5-acre parcel at 5 Ella Grasso Turnpike. That option was transferred to BDL this week, and Kervick said acquiring the property would provide the necessary access for the development to be viable.
Kervick said BDL expects to file a plan of development with the Planning and Zoning Commission within a month.
“These developers have been working with us in good faith for a long time and have paid more than $750,000 in local property tax, including another $141,000 last week, while trying to get the needed approvals from” the state Department of Transportation, Kervick said. “Now by combining these two parcels we finally solve the access issue that has been preventing the property from reaching its full potential.”
The property at 5 Ella Grasso Turnpike is now the site of a Quality Inn. In his statement, Kervick notes that it “has been the focus of significant police activity over the last two years.”
“The demolition of the existing building and the completion of the Governor’s Station mixed use project will bring a fresh and exciting new start to that entire section of town,” Kervick said.
This story has been altered for the web
