The town's Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve a tax abatement for a new project at 25 East Center Street, the former Masonic Temple. The new project would include the retrofit of the existing building into new rental units and office space. A three year abatement was approved by the town while the project gets underway.
The building was constructed in 1926 by the local Masons. Prior to the construction of the 20,000 square foot building, the Masons met in a local school house. The lodge sold in 2023 for $350,000 to David Wesley Real Estate, they plan to relocate their nearby office into the building after the renovation. Above the first floor offices would be multi-family residencial units; with around 18 units planned. Scott Hollister, the owner of David Wesley Real Estate owns a number of abutting properties including the former mattress store behind the lodge, a mixed-use building currently home to the real estate office, and a building currently occupied by a used car dealer. The lodge lacks parking, and these properties could be used to accommodate the new tenants. Construction is planned to begin in late 2024 with roughly 9-16 months of work. Completion would be in late 2025 or early 2026 according to these numbers.
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MY SALON Suite at The Shops at Evergreen Walk will be having an open house of their new space this Sunday, May 19th, from 1-4pm!
MY SALON Suite will be opening this summer next door to Carhartt at Evergreen Walk. The business leases small individual ready-to-use salon spaces to stylist. Spaces come outfitted with high-end equipment, full-sized mirror, separate color bar with sink and storage, granite countertops, and so much more. The only thing stylists need to bring is their clients and expertise! The rent even covers utilities, A/C, and Wi-Fi. You can request more information on space here: https://www.mysalonsuite.com/windsor/ Liquidation Outlet & crazy hot deals are coming soon to 169 Hale Road, the former Babies R Us / Dick's Warehouse Sale Store. Both stores are currently renovating and setting up in their new location! Stay tuned for an opening announcement!
Liquidation Outlet will sell new furniture, mattresses, fitness equipment, appliances, and other household items out of the new store! This will be the first Liquidation Outlet store owned by Crazy Hot Deals. The store will be located with Crazy Hot Deals, a discount bin shop currently located in the former AC Moore space in the same plaza. Crazy Hot Deals will relocate to the larger space very soon. The store has locations in Manchester CT, Orange CT, Monroe NY, and Nanuet NY. Have you ever shopped at Crazy Hot Deals? Have you gotten any good deals? Comment below! There are a number of new businesses on Main Street including an antique shop, a gift/art shop, and more! Check out the latest additions below!
-Sunshine Antiques is now open at 832 Main Street. The antique shop is located next door to Teriyaki Box, the former Antonio's Pizza space. The antique shop was located at the Manchester Mall before they moved to this larger location. -Donna Downtown is almost open at 811 Main Street, inside the Manchester Mall! The new store sells art, thrifted items, and a variety of gifts. Join them for their grand opening this Saturday from 11-5pm. -Audacity British Style Pub will be opening their doors on May 18th! The new British Pub will be located at 829 Main Street, the former Lucky Taco space. The pub will serve traditional British food with some American influences. Make sure you check them out next week! -ICYMI This Saturday (May 11th) is the annual Butterfly Stroll from Downtown Manchester Special Services District! Check out all the festivities here: http://www.theconnecticutscoop.com/.../annual-butterfly... Ryan's Sportsbar & Grill is the name of the new sportsbar coming soon at 485 Hartford Rd, Manchester, CT! The sportsbar will replace La Bamba/Dos Islas restaurant space. Ryan's plans an early June opening; they have transformed the space from a latin restaurant into a cutting edge sportsbar. The original filing suggested the name would be The Sides Sportsbar, though the name has pivotted to reflect the owner, Ryan Pierro.
SOS Friend Chicken and Shawarma is coming soon to 471 Hartford Road! The new restaurant replaces K Sushi/Mattress by Appointment. The business was originally filed by the name Westside Chicken LLC when we first reported on their plans. No timeline has been announced for their opening, construction on their tenant fitout is well underway. Both of these businesses join the roster of successful restaurants in the plaza including Cosmic Omelet, King's Donuts, Ruby Chinese, and The Gathering Diner! This Saturday is Downtown Manchester Special Services District’s annual Butterfly Stroll! The event will take place Saturday May 11th, hours will vary based on the booth or activity!
The event will feature a number of local vendors up and down Main Street, coffee from local shops like Silk City Coffee and The Firestone Art Studio + Cafe, beer from our local breweries Urban Lodge Brewing & Labyrinth Brewing Company, live music, and an opportunity to check out all the stores and eateries that make Downtown special! Festivities will take place all over Main Street! Make sure you stop by! Specials and activities include: Butterfly Stroll & Bouquets - Hosted by Downtown Manchester10 am to 2 pm
Hosted by the Galleries at WORK_SPACE, 10 am to 2 pm, at 903 Main Street Visit the Official Downtown Manchester Butterfly Stroll Station
(ACTIVITIES BELOW LISTED IN ORDER WALKING NORTH FROM SCHOOL ST. TO CENTER ST.) The Market at 1115 Main - Hosted by The Firestone | art studio & cafe 10 am to 4 pm at 1115 Main Street
Select Prestige White & Rose for $10.99 (normally $11.99) $10 Village Punch at Mulberry Street Pizza at 981 Main Street (11:30 am to 9 pm) Special Menu & $10 Togosas(To-Go Mimosas) at The Main Course at 867 Main Street (11:30 am to 9 pm ) Mother's Day Plant Sale at Perennial, 867 Main St. (10 am to 6 pm) Shop the unique collection of herbs and flowers. While you are there, pick up a wreath, tea, candles, and cards for the women in your life. Magic by Kody Hildebrand (Purnell Place) Butterfly Themed Cocktail at Urban Lodge at 47 Purnell Place (12 - 11 pm) Second Saturday *Indoor* Sidewalk Sale at the Manchester Mall at 811 Main (10 am to 5 pm) Visit the first of what will be monthly a monthly Second Saturday Sidewalk Sale all summer long! It's rain or shine because this sidewalk sale is INSIDE the mall! Celebrate Community at Silk City Coffee at 763 Main (7 am to 6 pm) View the butterflies that were decorated by community members in preparation for this event. Learn about the CHR Therapeutic Foster Care Program and how you can support our local children and families. Be sure to purchase this month’s Give-Back Cookie and $1 will be donated to CHR Foster Care. Author Tammy Gerhard will have a pop-up featuring her children’s book, Cocoa Hugs and Coffee Mugs (and her character doll!) that celebrates simple ways to Love Coffee (or cocoa) and Love People in the community. Youth Art Show & Art Sale at The Little Bird Clay Company at 29 Bissell Street (10 am to 2 pm) Support some of Manchester’s youngest artists by viewing and purchasing art at the Youth Art Show & Sale! Book Buzz Summer Book Chat at The Mary Cheney Library, 2:30pm Join Reader’s Advisor Barbara and Head of Reference and Adult Services Jenn as they chat about the books they are most excited about at t for May-August 2024. Get the latest scoop and buzz about the books that you won’t want to miss placing on hold and reading! Participants will receive some free swag at the event. FREE Kids' Craft with Kids Arts & Crafts Club of Manchester outside the Mary Cheney Library (10 am to 2 pm) Create a card using recycled egg cartons! The Sculpture Project Information Booth at Center Memorial Park (the location of the next sculpture!) Learn about Emily Cheney Neville, the subject of the next sculpture! Summit Music Center Musicians at Center Memorial park, 10 am to 12:30 pm History Walk Hosted by Susan Barlow, Town Historian, 12 pm at the corner of Linden and Myrtle Susan Barlow will lead a history walk through part of the Cheney Brothers National Historic Landmark including the History Center and onto the Elisabeth Bennet statue on the lawn of Bennet School and back. During this 2 mile/75-min walk, we'll encounter the work of artists and architects and discuss their contribution to the culture, aesthetic, and economy of Manchester. This will be a somewhat hilly walk contained mostly to sidewalks. Cameras and questions are encouraged. Rain or shine; extreme weather cancels. Downtown's Dragon's Den at The BeaHive Salon Grand Opening at 295 East Center Street (12 pm to 4 pm) The Dragon's Den Art Galler & Tattoo Studio will be just up the street helping The BeaHive Salon celebrate its new location. RSVP to join them for fun, shopping, beauty - and tattoos! More Arts & Culture District Activities Stop by these nearby locations!
Audacity British Style Pub will have their Grand Opening on May 18th at 4:00pm!
The new British pub will be located at 829 Main Street, the former Lucky Taco space. The pub will serve traditional British food with some American influences. The interior has been transformed into a pub atmosphere with new private booths, table sports, and a new wall for honoring service members. Make sure you check them out when they open on May 18th! Nova Trampoline Park has leased the former Stop & Shop at 940 Silver Lane in East Hartford! The business plans to open a new Adventure Park concept at the former 69,000 square foot grocery store.
Nova filed a special use application with the Planning and Zoning Commission to allow for the adventure park to operate in the former retail space. The adventure park would feature trampolines, dodgeball, basketball, ziplines, ninja course, obstacle courses, a ropes course. battle beams, and toddler area. The center would have 11 party rooms for booking. A large scale renovation of the building would be done to transform the space into the indoor adventure park. No date has been announced for the hearing on the application; though it will most likely pass through the process with ease as similar concept have in Manchester and Simsbury. Do you think this is a good use of the former Stop & Shop? What else would you like to see open in this plaza? Comment below! A new 30,200 square foot multi-tenant building is being proposed on a 4.3 acre parcel at 90-120 South Satellite Road in South Windsor.
Startline Development has submitted an application for site plan approval to combine three lots into a 4.3 acre parcel and construct a multi-tenant building totaling 30,200 square feet at 90-120 South Satellite Road. The proposed plans show 24 separate tenant spaces, each with a 12'x14' overhead door and a man-door. The use of the space would be small contractors and small businesses without a large visiting customer base. The building would be built in an industrial / commercial section of town. A Planning and Zoning meeting is tentatively scheduled for 5/28/2024. Here is the link to the all the attachments: https://www.southwindsor-ct.gov/.../planning-and-zoning... This gem is a bit different than our typical ones; it's not a business, it's a place. The Bush Hill Farm is a large collection of farmland and forest located at 330 Bush Hill Road in Manchester, the preserve emcompasses both Manchester and Glastonbury.
The land is open to the public, owned by Manchester Land Conservation Trust. The land is host to miles of trails emcompassing the nearly 180 acres. Guests can hike the trails, visit the pond, enjoy a picnic at the pavilion, or spend sometime at Frog Hollow. The preserve is made up of 3 former family farms including the Botti Farm, Lombardo Farm, and the Manning-Ferris Farm. The preserve holds a special place in my own heart, the Botti Farm was my family's farm for over 100 years until my grandparents sold it to the landtrust in 2015. Check out the pictures from my hike there, and take in the beauty of Manchester and Glastonbury. Make sure you visit the farms and enjoy nature. Vessel Technologies is moving forward with their plans for a new 42 unit apartment building at 486 Tolland Turnpike.
A public Planning & Zoning Hearing on a special exception for the project is tentatively planned for May 20th at 7pm if you would like to voice your opinion on the project. The meeting will be held at the Lincoln Center Hearing Room at 494 Main Street. The floor plan would be comprised of 40- one bedroom units and 2- two bedroom units according to a narrative submitted to the town last year. The building will have 55 parking spaces for residents. Do you think this project are good for Manchester? Are you looking forward to more housing in Manchester? Comment below! El sol deli 2 will be opening a second Manchester location! The restaurant will open at 550 Middle Tpke E Manchester, CT; the former Pastrami on Wry/Kenny's/Taso's Eggsellent Adventure location.
El Sol Deli will keep their location on Main Street according to a message from the business; Main Street will be the homebase of operations. The restaurant serves tacos, empanadas, empanada tacos, quesadilla, burritos, nachos, and much more. The empanada tacos are delicious; and have gone viral on TikTok since the restaurant introduced them last year. You can visit their location at 631 Main Street in the meantime, the food is delicious! Hartford Healthcare plans to open a new clinic in Manchester inside Walgreens at 295 Main Street!
The new clinic will be run by Hartford Healthcare, separate from their GoHealth Urgent Care centers throughout Connecticut. The new clinic will have 2 small exam rooms for health screenings and testing, as well as a small administrative space. Customers will be able to get a variety of services at the clinics, including primary care, screenings, vaccinations, telehealth services and more. The clinics will be open daily, by appointment or walk-in. The clinic will occupy a portion of the retail store space next to the pharmacy. Walgreens has Hartford Healthcare Clinics in development for their locations in Enfield, East Lyme, Norwalk, and Putnam. This is a new trend in the pharmacy industry. CVS has been converting a portion of their stores into medical offices under the Oak Street Health brand. Night Shade, horror boutique, is coming soon to Manchester! This new horror themed boutique will open on Wednesday May 1st from 3-7pm!
The boutique will be located at 188 Middle Turnpike West, the former A Hero's Legacy Comics and Collectibles space. The boutique will sell a variety of home decor, books, and other spooky items for the Halloween and Horror lovers in your life! Make sure you stop by on May 1st! La-Z-Boy is planning to relocated their Manchester furniture showroom to the former Pier 1 Imports space at Evergreen Walk!
The furniture store is currently located at 233 Buckland Hills Drive, and would relocate next door to LL Bean and The Paper Store. The store would slightly update the current facade and add some new trim. Construction could begin this summer, with a fall opening for the new store. The new store will be about 40% smaller than their current location, with a new footprint just above 11,500 square feet. Plans are still subject to approvals and lease agreements. La-Z-Boy will join Little Bird Clay Company Pottery & Art Works that is also coming soon next to Kung Fu Tea! The Woodbridge Mill at 501 Middle Turnpike East has a new owner!
The Woodbridge Mill, former Hanshaw Furniture and many others, has been sold for $450,000 earlier this month. The sale as recorded on April 1st to 501 Middle Turnpike Properties & Development LLC. The LLC is connected to G&M Interiors General Contractors, a New York contractor. The company appears to do a lot of residential work according to their completed projects on their website, https://www.gminteriorsgeneralcontracting.com/ The plan as outlined by the new owner is to redevelop the property into a new mixed use property featuring two retail space, 24 apartments units, and new amenities for residents. The apartments would be open to all renters, not just 55 years and older as previously approved. Work on the project is expected to begin in August pending all local approvals. Based on the renderings from the new owner, a portion of the building would be demolished to allow for more parking on the site. The portion is an addition dating back to the 1960s/1970s, and is not deemed historic. The project was planned and zoning approved in 2019 as a 55 years & older apartment complex under previous ownership. A new food manufacturing facility could be coming to South Windsor. The very secretive 'Project Fin' has been released. Home Market Foods is planning a new food manufacturing facility at 50 Talbot Lane, the former Carla's Pasta building.
A seven-year tax abatement was approved for the project; in the agreement Home Market Foods would invest $71 million. The investment would be spent renovating and expanding the facility by 28,000 square feet. The facility would create over 200 jobs by 2027. The tax abatement is a 70% abatement for the first three years after the company gets their Certificate of Occupancy; then a 10% decrease in the abatement for each following year. Tribe 9 Foods, which operates in the building, is planning to shut down their facility. Tribe 9 Foods purchased Carla's Pasta out of bankruptcy in 2021. The building was put on the market last year. The project was negotiated in secret, under the code name 'Project Fin.' The town had incorrectly listed the address at 30 Talbot Lane in town documents about the project Walmart plans to move forward with the demolition of the vacant plaza next to Ocean State Job Lot on Spencer Street! The plaza was formerly home to Hancock Fabrics, Subway, and Family Dollar. Only the plaza to the left of Ocean State Job Lot will be demolished, Ocean State will remain open after the demolition.
Walmart originally planned to build a new supercenter on the site of the former Kmart in the plaza. Walmart purchased the land including the Ocean State Job Lot plaza in 2015 for $9.8 million; but shelved plans for their superstore after a lawsuit from ShopRite. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed, allowing the store's construction. There does not appear to be plans to build a Walmart store on the site anymore, the property was listed for sale in September. The land is most likely being cleared to add value for a potential sale. Check out the listing here: https://www.loopnet.com/.../205-Spencer-St.../29659140/ A new restaurant is coming soon to Manchester! Chicken with Glasses will be opening at 149 Middle Turnpike West, the former Vic's Pizza.
The new eatery will feature gourmet burgers, a large gluten free menu, burrito bowls, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, chicken, fish, steak, and more! No timeline has been given for their opening, we have reached out to the restaurant for more information. Check out their website here: https://www.chickenwithglasses.com/ The Town of Manchester is seeking to evict the last two tenants of the Tong building on Main Street.
The two tenants, Manchester Chinese Cuisine and Luna Bodyworks, were given notice to vacant the property by January 31st. Both tenants remain at their location despite the notice to quit being served. No hearing date for the case has been set. The town has been in negotiation with both tenants for months to aid in the relocation. The town intends to demolish the building to make way for a new mixed-use development on the site. The existing building has been an eyesore of Main Street for decades; the town finalized their purchase last year. The other tenants of the building have successfully relocated to new locations including The BeaHive Salon relocating to 295 East Center Street, Family Appliances relocated to 61 Tolland Turnpike, and Connecti-Cuts relocated to 983 Main Street. Pratt & Whitney plans to make a large investment in their East Hartford campus!
Pratt & Whitney is seeking permission to demolish their existing 200,000 square foot OBB building on their East Hartford campus and build a new 5-story 313,000 square foot office building in its place. The plans are to be presented infront of the Planning and Zoning Commission tomorrow. You can find the agenda here: https://www.easthartfordct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif9241/f/agendas/04102024_pzc_meeting_agenda_revised_0.pdf The new development is a major investment in the world headquarters of Pratt & Whitney. The company built a new headquarters on their campus in 2017, emcompassing 425,000 square feet. No timeline has been announced for the project. East Hartford has seen an influx of development along the Silver Lane corridor including the new Lowes and Wayfair distribution centers that are nearing completion, the planned Concourse Park apartment complex, a future development on the site of Silver Lane Plaza, and numerous other housing developments now in the planning stages. Salsa Fresca Mexican Grill is NOW OPEN at The Plaza at Buckland Hills! The eatery is located at 1500D Pleasant Valley Road, next to Sweet Frogs.
The eatery features Mexican-cuisine in a fast-casual setting. The restaurant is similar to Chipotle, Moe's, or Baja's. The eatery opened in the former Total Fitness Superstore space at The Plaza at Buckland Hills. This is the chain's 18th locations company wide and their 7th Connecticut location. Hot Table will open their new Manchester location on April 22nd! The panini shop will be located at 1540 Pleasant Valley Road, inside The Plaza at Buckland Hills!
The eatery replaced Chosen1 Seafood, a Cajun seafood concept. This will be the chain’s 14th location with the closest one being in Glastonbury. Make sure you check them out on April 22nd! An application for a new building at Evergreen Walk has been submitted. The new building would be 5,000 square feet in the new development with Starbucks and Chipotle.
The new building is planned to house a Sally’s Apizza and would feature the pizza-shop’s iconic white and red brick pattern on their exterior. The new location is planned to have an outdoor patio as well. The lease has not been signed and is still being negotiated with the landlord, but planning and zoning submissions are a good sign of the future of the project! The new building is planned to be a Sally‘s Apizza! This would be the chain's fifth location (depending on when it opens) with new locations coming soon in Wethersfield, Newington, Norwalk, West Hartford / Farmington, and Boston Seaport. The chain currently has locations in New Haven, Stamford, Fairfield, and Woburn, Mass. Plans are still subject to town approvals, a tentative meeting date in front of the Planning & Zoning Commission is set for 04/09. Check out the application here: https://www.southwindsor-ct.gov/.../planning-and-zoning... Will you dine here if they open here? Comment Below! We received a question regarding the land behind The Plaza at Buckland Hills from a reader. According to documents presented in to the Planning and Zoning Commission in South Windsor, a large housing development was being considered!
At the January 9th meeting representatives from Washington Prime Group (owner of the land and The Plaza at Buckland Hills) presented preliminary plans for over 600 new apartments on the site. These plans are still preliminary and subject to change. The units would be spread across across a number of buildings in the development. A portion of the apartments would be affordable according to the developers, though the majority would be market-rate. A number of commissioners expressed their dissatifaction with the plan for the site including its density; while others were open minded about it. The site is zoned as commercial, and would require a zone change for the new development. No formal application has been submitted for the development; only a preliminary review of the plans for feedback. You can check out the exhibits here: https://www.southwindsor-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif8416/f/minutes/1-9-24_exhibit_0.pdf and the meeting minutes here: https://www.southwindsor-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif8416/f/minutes/1-9-24_minutes.pdf |
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