After experiencing a residential housing boom of sorts last decade, Tolland officials have their sights set on the next stage of development in town.
Members of Tolland’s Planning and Zoning committee recently approved a new zoning district for the creation of a “village-style town center” to be located on both sides of Route 195, near the I-84 interchange at Exit 68.
While the project won’t be built overnight — it will likely take decades to complete the entire thing — it serves as an aggressive mixed-use development that would include residential and retail components as well as the town’s first hotel.
The Tolland Village area encompasses about 60 acres of developable land, said Town Manager Steven Werbner, and the town is talking to developers interested in constructing in the area.
Although not all property owners agree on the future use of the land, Werbner said the development aims to give the town more control over how it evolves in the coming years.
“It’s an attempt to influence how the development will ultimately come about, rather than have it develop on its own,” Werbner said.
The overall concept is a traditional New England village that would include 80 to 100 single-family homes and townhouses, space for retail and commercial development, and a hotel, Werbner said.
Although Tolland is small town — it has a population of less than 16,000 — it is not completely unfamiliar with economic development.
From 2000 thru 2008, Tolland was a faster growing community in the state, experiencing a residential housing boom that gave birth to a commercial corridor.
During that time, the town added close to 700 units of single-family, active adult, or apartment housing, and over 400,000 square feet of industrial and commercial space, helping grow its grand list by 3 percent on an annual basis.
In 2009, Tolland received national accolades, ranking as the nation’s 27th ‘best small town to live in’ by Money Magazine.
“Visualize tall white church steeples, crimson barns, and colonial architecture,” the magazine said in its assessment of Tolland. “Now picture industrial parks and the interstate that bisects the town to connect it to New York City, Hartford, and Boston. Residents of Tolland live in a mix of modernity and historic charm.”
Tolland’s growth in the 2000’s — and an increasing demands for services — led to the construction of the Fieldstone Commons in 2005, a 100,000 square foot community shopping center anchored by Big Y Supermarket, which was the first grocery store to open its doors in Tolland. Fieldstone Commons is also occupied by a variety of local and national retail and restaurant tenants.
“For a small town like Tolland there has been a considerable activity,” Werbner said.
Werbner said the quality of life, strong schools system, and proximity to Hartford, UConn, Boston and New York, are what spurred the growth. At the end of the 2010, Tolland’s grand list hit $1.3 billion and its top taxpayers include Capitol Ventures LLC, Connecticut Light and Power Co., MJB Realty LLC, which operates the sports complex, and Summers & Summers Realty.
With its historic New England charm, Tolland is passionate about maintaining its open space, said George Mantak, the town’s economic development director.
“We are one of the more aggressive towns in the state in preserving open space,” Mantak said. He said there are about 1,000 acres of open space in town, most of which was preserved within the past 10 years.
That focuses the debate over the village green development.
“In a smaller community there are still some people that would prefer to see nothing built there,” Werbner said. “There are others who feel the village concept is too restrictive in terms of the nature of what’s being required. Time will tell in terms of how it plays out. I don’t think it’s a pipedream. It’s too good of a location for something not to happen at some point.”
Werbner said growth has slowed during the economic downturn, causing the town to experience a significant drop off in residential development.
The only major project recently was the Star Hill Family Athletic Center, which was completed in 2010 and occupies about 156,000 square feet in the Tolland Business Park.
But while development has slowed, planning has not, Mantak said, and they are hoping to be in a strong position when the economy turns around.
“We would prefer to try to tell the market what we want rather than wait for the market come to us and make their suggestions,” Mantak said.
There’s space aplenty for right kind of growth
