Shelton spent of the 90’s enticing corporate office parks to move to brand new class A faciliites. Now they are getting around to repurposing old factories into condos and rebuilding their main street.
For now, the property next door to Rebecca’s Miller new home is a pile of bricks and rubble.But Miller, one of the new owners of a unit in the Birmingham, a 100-unit condominium on Canal Street, couldn’t be happier.
“I think they have great plans” for the area, Miller, an interior designer, said. “I think its going to be another area like New Haven; with lots of little shops and boutiques.”
Miller said she and her husband were attracted by the style of the Birmingham, a complex that was created from a renovated factory.
They had been renting in Stratford, she said.
“The loft style was the appeal,” Miller said.
As of Oct. 26, 82 contracts for units had been signed, and 35 closings held, according to developer John Guedes.
Guedes’ firm, Primrose Co., isn’t stopping there, however. It has more plans for the downtown waterfront properties along Canal Street.
That pile of rubble next door will eventually become Radcliffe Park, a 254-unit condominium complex, built on the site of the former Tilcon asphalt plant.
Upstate towns can compete against lower Fairfield County towns like Norwalk because the land costs are still cheaper. Cheaper land brings lower rents and leases which attract smaller retailers. New Haven followed a similar development pace.
The Guedes projects, along with the growing corporate and residential empire of Robert D. Scinto, are emblematic of the sustained wave of development that has transformed this city over the last 15 to 20 years.
“We set some goals when I took office in 1991 and one of them was economic development,” said Mayor Mark A. Lauretti. “Part of that was downtown revitalization and bringing private entrepreneurs
Smejkal said the cost of her Birmingham condo was also reasonable, especially since she purchased her unit during the pre-construction phase. The average sales price for units, which range from 900 square feet to 1,250 square feet, is $250,000.
“I hear some of the condos have already gone up in price,” she said.
Smejkal said she’s excited about moving into the Birmingham and meeting new neighbors.
Anthony Staffieri, 26, son of the Derby mayor, is one of them.
He said he was attracted to the Birmingham for a number of reasons.
“Initially, it was the location,” said Staffieri, who owns Connie’s Restaurant in Derby. “With the redevelopment taking place in Derby and Shelton downtowns, I felt that would be a prime area to settle in,” he said.
Staffieri is getting married in September and bought a two-bedroom condominium, which he said is roomy and well-designed.
“We have everything we need in it and that was another plus,” he added.
He said he’s been to the Birmingham a few times and seen it in different stages.
“It’s been exciting to watch it evolve,” he said.
ALong with the old, the new keeps getting built too.
“I had a vision of what I wanted to build and built it,” said Scinto, the city’s largest taxpayer. “I tell people I’m lucky because I have two things — imagination and passion. I can imagine things and bring them to reality.”
Units at the Renaissance average 2,260 square feet and will cost from $690,000 to $900,000. So far, six have been sold, said Scinto. His multi-million dollar company over the past 30 years has more than 35 properties to its credit.
While Lauretti has opposed the Renaissance — solely because of the height — he said he thought it was “a great concept” and a “winner from a financial standpoint.”
He calls the city’s relationship with Scinto “a good marriage.”
“We’re good to him and he’s been good to us,” he said.
In addition to the buzz downtown, the city has also seen some new commercial development in recent months, including Split Rock at the corner of Old Stratford Road and Bridgeport Avenue that includes a pharmacy and restaurant.
There’s also Crown Point built by developer Jim Botti, credited with bringing the first Starbucks coffee shop to the Valley at the Bridgeport Avenue retail complex.
“I bought the property next to mine because it was vacant for about 15 years and there were blighted buildings on it,” Botti said. “We cleaned it up and developed it and the town is happy to have it back on the rolls.”
Among the other 20 tenants that make up the Crown Point plaza are a Wendy’s fast food restaurant, a gas station and a number of commercial buildings, including a bank.
Botti said all of his tenants are doing well, and a new Japanese restaurant, Kobis, will replace Madison’s, which went out of business earlier this year.
Other projects Botti is planning include a Chili’s restaurant and Long Horn Steakhouse across from Ruby Tuesday’s.
“We are also going to the zoning commission later this month for a Hyatt Regency Hotel,” he said.
source: The Connecticut Post, Living proof of Shelton changing downtown
source: The Connecticut Post, Redefining the riverfront By ANNE M. AMATO, April 15, 2007
