The Town of Suffield has approved a new roadway to serve a light industrial area on Rte. 75 across from the Mach One Industrial Park and in close proximity to Bradley International Airport. To the north of the roadway is a development known as Marketing Research Park (MRP). The first building in (MRP), a 35- acre planned development industrial park, is a 50,000 s/f warehouse for Marketsure and an expansion for office and production purposes on a 20-acre lot is expected in the future. There are an additional 15 acres on the corner of Rte. 75 and Austin St. available which are part of MRP. To the south of the proposed roadway, is a new 100 acre planned development industrial park known as Bradley International Business Center (BIBC). A concept plan prepared by Purcell Associates for the portion of the BIBC serviced by the new roadway (approximately 35 acres) 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 town is currently in the process of selecting an engineering firm to design the new roadway which will be approximately 1,000 linear ft. with associated utilities. We hope to complete the design in time for late winter bidding with a goal for construction to begin in summer 2008.
This new roadway approval comes on the heels of another major program initiative by Suffield to show it supports business growth. Under the new program, known as the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP), the Town of Suffield would reimburse the developer for up to 100% of the costs of public improvements such as roadways and utilities upon receipt of documentation of expenses incurred. The reimbursement period is seven years or until 100% of the costs have been reimbursed, whichever comes first. The developer's reimbursement is the difference between the tax revenue collected before improvements to land and issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy and the tax revenue after such events. The taxes are those attributed to real estate and personal property. Applications for reimbursement shall be limited to public road construction, utility extension and/or improvement of storm water drainage, sanitary sewer, natural gas, water and railroad sidings. Applications would be made to the Economic Development Commission with final approval authority vested in the Board of Selectmen.
With the growth of Bradley International Airport which is on the town's southern border, town officials had the foresight to zone over 1,000 acres adjacent or proximate to the airport for industry. A wide-assortment of companies, including precision machine shops, telecommunications firms, and distribution companies, has chosen to call Suffield home. Light industrial, distribution, office and indoor recreation are all allowed uses in the Planned Development Industrial Park (PDIP) zone.
Suffield is a prime location for business growth. It is centrally located between Springfield, Mass. and Hartford, Conn., an area now known as the Knowledge Corridor due to the many institutions of higher learning and the skilled workforce in the region. Talented workers are drawn not only from Hartford County but from western Massachusetts as well. With Bradley International Airport upgrading its passenger terminal and cargo facilities, as well as providing international flights to Europe, locating a business in Suffield will provide great growth potential. There is easy access to I-91 that connects to I-84, I-90 and I-95. Within two hours driving time are New York City, Albany and Boston. Within 500 miles your business would have access to 100 million potential customers, a third of the U.S. economy and two-thirds of the Canadian economy.
The Economic Development Commission is committed to providing all Suffield businesses outstanding customer service, including walking applicants through the development review process. Visit www.suffieldedc.com for more information on the benefits of locating in Suffield.
Patrick McMahon is Bradley Development League's development officer, Suffield, Conn.