🔒Wallingford’s lower electricity rates, central location lure proton radiation center, other employers

Perhaps no municipality in Connecticut has a more diverse economy than Wallingford.

The town of 44,396 boasts everything from traditional heavy manufacturing and biotech to technology firms and a large and thriving retail sector. Adding even more spice to the mix are vegetable and flower growers, two Amazon last-mile distribution centers and the Masonicare medical and senior living facility, one of the town’s largest employers.

“I think we’re very healthy,” town Economic Development Specialist Tim Ryan said. “Wallingford has great diversity in its Grand List, which speaks volumes for our ability to stand out and weather the storm of recessionary economics.”

What are Wallingford’s competitive advantages? Among the biggest factors, inexpensive and reliable electricity, Ryan and Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said. Wallingford is one of only a handful of Connecticut municipalities that owns and operates its own electric utilities.

As a result, the town has some of the least expensive and most reliable power in the state, a major draw for heavy industries like Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals and Nucor Steel Connecticut Inc., both mainstays of the local economy, Dickinson said.

“Many big specialty manufacturers, their energy costs tend to be high,” said Dickinson, who at 39 years in office is the state’s second-longest serving chief executive. “Here they can get a very competitive energy rate. It provides an advantage [to the town].”

Wallingford’s second big plus: location, location, location. The town is halfway between Hartford and New Haven, with Interstate 91, the Wilbur Cross Parkway and a major rail line all running through it. The advantage isn’t just moving raw materials in and goods out, Ryan said. A large, skilled workforce lives within easy commuting distance to Wallingford, another big desire for employers, he said.

High-tech development

Those two factors — inexpensive energy and location — were important in attracting a major new investment to town.

Proton International plans to break ground on its new $72 million cancer treatment facility later this year, said Senior Vice President of Facility Development Peter Carbone. The company, whose partners in the project are Hartford HealthCare and Yale New Haven Health, builds and operates proton radiation centers, a relatively new type of radiation therapy that does less damage to the body than traditional radiation, Carbone said. The 28,000-square-foot, two-story property will be the first proton radiation center in the state, he said.

While inexpensive electricity was a factor, it was Wallingford’s central location along with the cooperative attitude of town officials that sealed the deal, Carbone said.

“The biggest factor by far was being halfway between New Haven and Hartford,” he said. “It just makes sense from the perspective of Hartford HealthCare as well as the perspective of Yale New Haven.”

Meantime, Ryan, who is retiring from his position in June, said the town isn’t sitting on its laurels. His next big project is leveraging Wallingford’s lower power costs and location to entice data centers into town. The oodles of servers used by such centers could translate into a tax windfall for Wallingford, he said.

“Think a big-box store full of computer servers at very high value,” he said.

Connecticut in 2020 passed a law providing incentives to data center operators, but the industry hasn’t yet germinated in the state. Some facilities would likely engage in Bitcoin mining, but that’s just one part of the growing demand for data centers, Ryan said.

“The market is being driven by our insatiable appetite for data,” Ryan said. “It’s 5G. It’s the driverless car. It’s that data needs to move faster. It can never be fast enough.”

Transit-oriented development

Dickinson and Ryan pointed to other factors that make the town attractive to business, including a low tax rate (28.52 mills), excellent schools and a vibrant parks and recreation program. The town also has a vibrant downtown and ample housing stock, they said.

Another plus is the new train station on North Cherry Street built as part of the state’s push for transit-oriented development, Dickinson said. Transit-oriented development seeks to concentrate housing, retail and jobs around transit hubs, reducing sprawl and carbon emissions. As envisioned, the project inspired construction of about 200 apartments next door, he said.

Moving forward, the town plans to maintain and build on its economic diversity, while husbanding its traditional industries.

“I generally would see it as healthy to have a diversified portfolio with a variety of businesses,” Dickinson said. “It avoids some of the ups and downs.”

All of this gives Wallingford something extra to cheer about as the community gears up to celebrate its 350th anniversary in June. The festivities, which include a week of events and a gala ball, were supposed to take place two years ago — the town was founded in 1670 — but delayed due to COVID-19, Dickinson said.

“We’re still celebrating the 350th,” he said.

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Correction: Interstate 91 runs through Wallingford. An earlier version of this story incorrectly referenced Interstate 95.