The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Plan to move Manhattan manufacturer to Shelton nearing panel approval
SHELTON — Robert Scinto’s plan for new construction at the corner of Waterview Drive and Constitution Boulevard is nearing approval. According to the plan, with the approval will come an international manufacturing firm.
The Planning and Zoning Commission, at a public hearing Wednesday, heard the commercial developer’s request to modify the already approved Planned Development District for the 11.1acre site.
Scinto had received approval in 2002 to construct an eight-story, 231,000-squarefoot office building with 700 parking spaces. But those plans have changed, he said. His present proposal calls an 80,000-square-foot building to house a Manhattan manufacturer.
Scinto declined to name the company, but said if the application is approved, the firm would generate jobs. The development could be completed in 12 to 16 months, he said.
“This will be a beautiful building, a real asset to the town,” said Scinto, owner and founder of R.D. Scinto, Inc., one of the largest privately held commercial real estate corporations in the state.
In all, Scinto has 4.2 million square feet of space in 53 buildings, many of which are in Shelton.
He said he never moved ahead with the original plan for the site due to “economic conditions.”
“This project represents new jobs,” he added. “The company is relocating its corporate headquarters from Manhattan to come to Shelton. This is a wonderful opportunity
for the state of Connecticut and the City of Shelton.”
At the same meeting, the commission heard residents voice concern about traffic, noise and environmental pollution said could be caused by this development. The members then closed the public hearing and directed zoning staff to prepare a favorable resolution for the application.
“This is not a warehouse,” Scinto said, adding the building will house light manufacturing and research and development, with some storage of the completed products.
Scinto said 44 percent of the new structure would be for storing the company’s products, which he says is “large equipment.”
The remaining space, about 35,000 square feet, would be used for executive office space and research and development.
Scinto said the company comes with 15 employees but plans to expand to 30 by the end of the first year. He said the company has stated it will have about 70 employees by
the end of the 10-year lease.
The original plans, approved in 2002, included 700 parking spaces. This plan, with one tenant and much less square footage, has 236 spaces.
But architect Patrick Rose, representing Scinto, said the plan would be to defer some spaces. This would leave more screening while allowing the option at a later date to create parking if needed. Rose proposed deferring 30 spots, which would cut the total created in the initial development to 206. The final number will be determined in collaboration with zoning staff.
The company’s hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the application.
At the beginning, the company will have two to three deliveries each day, using trucks ranging from delivery vans to tracto- trailers. Those deliveries could expand to as many as 15 over the course of the lease, Scinto said. No trucks would come to the site after hours, he said.