2017 Annual Review: Christopher Edge of Town of Berlin, CT

What was your greatest professional accomplishment in 2017? There are two accomplishments that I am most proud of for 2017.  The first is the creation of our new website where a firm can search for available commercial properties, find incentive information, see recent happenings as well as look up businesses that call Berlin home.  The second is the awarding of the first ever 7-year tax abatement in the history of the Town of Berlin to Forrest Machine who is now close to completion on a brand new state-of-the-art aerospace 55,000 s/f manufacturing facility in Berlin.

What was your most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2017? The most notable project is the completion of a new dealership for Acura of Berlin and the adjacent 17,000 s/f of retail on the Berlin Tpke.  With an investment of over $10 million on these two connected projects, it will bring new jobs, taxes and opportunities to the Town of Berlin and help to invigorate additional investment and retailers onto the Berlin Tpke. 

What are your predictions for commercial real estate in 2018? I foresee the lack of inventory in the industrial real estate market finally hit the critical point with industrial land again playing a large part in the economic landscape in Berlin.  With two different subdivisions seriously being looked at in Berlin, I believe the planning for and construction of new industrial buildings will be prevalent in 2018-19 as firms based in Central Connecticut need to expand into larger facilities to meet their customer demands.