Patrick McMahon, Town of Suffield

Ron Poulin, president of Poulin Enterprises, Inc., stated that a reason for choosing Suffield was “the tasteful design of their industrial park and its proximity to Bradley International Airport which is home to a good portion of our customer base, as well as its high profile location being very noticeable to both commuters and business travelers coming and going from the airport which has resulted in strong name brand recognition for my sales staff throughout Connecticut.”

The town of Suffield constructed a roadway called Marketing Dr. to serve a light industrial area on Rte. 75 in close proximity to Bradley International Airport.  To the north of the roadway is a development known as Marketing Research Park (MRP), a 35-acre planned development industrial park.  Windsor Marketing Group has built a production, office and distribution facility in this park.  Trevisan, a machining tool company, has a new facility in the park.  There is additional acreage available along Rte. 75 and off of Austin St. which are a part of MRP. 

To the south of Marketing Drive is the Bradley International Business Center (BIBC).  A concept plan prepared by Purcell Associates for 35 shows a total of five buildings ranging from 40,000 to 100,000 s/f with a total square footage of 388,000 s/f.  An alternative layout of this area would have three buildings of 40,000 s/f, 98,000 s/f and 315,000 s/f for a total development of 453,000 s/f.  The site is serviced by all utilities.  Allowed uses include office, R&D, light industrial, indoor recreation, hotel and distribution.  Designs for Health, a natural supplements company, has already established a presence here. 

The town of Suffield has also developed the Mach One Industrial Park.  There are three lots which are available for new building and are fully serviced by existing utilities.  The distance from Mach One to I-91 is 5 miles.  Area amenities include: restaurants and Bed & Breakfasts in Suffield Town Center and 1,600 plus hotel rooms, restaurants, and car rentals along Ella Grasso Turnpike in Windsor Locks.  The employee base is drawn from Greater Hartford, as well as Western Mass. labor markets. 

Lots 13 and 14 are a total of 4.53 acres combined (2.22 and 2.31 respectively).  3.79 acres are buildable (wetlands to the rear of both lots).  The potential square footage with the lots combined is 45,000 s/f.  The lots could also be purchased separately.  Price for the two lots is $325,000.

Lot 3 is 1.92 acres (1.36 buildable) with great visibility from Rte. 75.  It has a shared driveway from Rte. 75 with Kelly Container.  The potential square footage is 5,000 to 7,000 s/f.  Conceptual plans prepared by PDS Engineering and Construction are available. 

Suffield has rail sites, as well as one location suitable for a large distribution facility off of Rte. 159 (up to 800k s/f).  This area is currently home to Hood Ice Cream, Praxair and C&S Wholesale Grocers.  There is also a 10-acre town-owned parcel off of Rte. 159 available for development with utilities available to the site. 

A unique redevelopment opportunity exists for 1760 Mapleton Ave.  Formerly utilized as an educational facility with dorm rooms, meeting spaces, outstanding kitchen facilities, auditorium and a gymnasium, the property consists of a 131,797 s/f building on 56.1 acres located on the easterly side of Rte. 159. The property has approximately 1,556 linear feet of frontage on Rte. 159 and 900 feet of water frontage on the Connecticut River.  Paved driveways wind through the property totaling around 325 spaces. The site is attractively landscaped with trees providing a natural privacy barrier from Rte. 159.  The property is located just south of Six Flags New England and Springfield area attractions and just north of the historic Hilltop Farm.

In our town center we are seeking a mixed-use developer to assemble and redevelop approximately 28 acres of land  (24 acres privately owned former lumberyard and 3.5 acres town-owned).  A market analysis has been completed by Camoin Associates of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.  The analysis indicates that this property is a prime site for residential apartments, medical office, restaurants and local serving retail.  A new CVS Pharmacy was completed in 2015. 

We work very closely with our commercial and industrial users and ensure a quick review process for development projects.

Patrick McMahon is director of economic and community development for the Town of Suffield, Conn.