Warehouse eyed for Bloomfield property
Developer based in Farmington seeking approval for new 74,000-square-foot distribution facility
A Farmington-based developer is looking to build a 74,000-squarefoot warehouse in Bloomfield, the latest in a recent series of storage and logistics projects in central Connecticut.
Douglas Street Ventures LLC is seeking town approval to build on a little under 9 acres along Douglas Street.
The company hasn’t specified what business or businesses would use the facility, but it proposing three access points off of Douglas — two for trucks and one for cars.
The company earlier this year notified owners of about two dozen nearby properties that it is proposing the warehouse and distribution center, which is in an industrial zone but only a couple of blocks from the closest homes.
The town plan and zoning commission was scheduled to hear Douglas Street Ventures’ presentation last month, but rescheduled the hearing for June. The company needs a site plan approval as well as a special permit to proceed.
The state has spent the past decade encouraging industrial and warehouse development in central Connecticut, particularly in the region around Bradley International Airport. Depending on traffic, the Bloomfield site is roughly a 15- to 20-minute trip from the airport.
In its application for zoning approval, Douglas Street Ventures notes that the town has also supported this kind of business.
“The Bloomfield Plan of Conservation and Development greatly encourages the promotion of industrial development in town given its proximity to Bradley International Airport and major highways,” the company wrote. “The proposed site plan serves to increase industrial development in an area that is already zoned for industrial uses.”
Nearby Windsor, South Windsor and Windsor Locks have been adding major warehouses for more than a decade, including mega-centers for Coca Cola, Amazon, Home Depot, Dollar Tree, Walgreen’s, Fedex and others.
Bloomfield’s share of that market has been a bit less than its neighbors, but it nevertheless has several substantial logistics facilities. Affiliated with TJC Companies, for instance, is the Homegoods distribution center that measures more than 350,000 square feet.
Douglas Street Ventures proposes a single-story, 74,520-square-foot building that would be no more than 44 feet high.
The property is just a block southwest of the intersection of routes 218 and 187.
It would have parking for more than 100 cars and 55 trailers, with 20 loading bays.
South Windsor-based Design Professionals, the engineer for the project, told planners that a warehouse would benefit Bloomfield.
“The proposed development at 59 & 69 Douglas Street provides a vital opportunity for this industrially
zoned property to enhance the value of these properties and meet a growing need from warehouse/distribution centers in Bloomfield,” the company said in the application.
“This will bring a new, growing company to the town or provide ample expansion area for one of the town’s many existing, successful companies,” it said.
Douglas Street Ventures is promising extensive landscaping as a noise and light buffer for other properties.
The public hearing is expected to be held June 23 starting at 7 p.m. As of now the commission is still meeting remotely; anyone interested in joining the meeting online can get directions at bloomfieldct.gov/town-planand-zoning-commission.