Plainfield warehouse to be five times bigger than Amazon, but no tenant yet. What we know.
PLAINFIELD ― A private real estate company has received conditional approval to build a 1 million-square-foot warehouse in Plainfield that is expected to net the town a tidy sum in permitting and tax revenue.
The Planning & Zoning Commission on June 29 granted site plan approval to Scannell Properties for construction of a warehouse on the combined parcels at 91-105, 107, 113 and 143-151 Plainfield Pike currently owned by the Plainfield Materials company.
In addition to the enormous warehouse, the project, which First Selectman Kevin Cunningham estimated will cost up to $100 million to complete, calls for creating 975 parking and 182 trailer storage spaces, along with 200 docking doors on the total 137-acre space, according to site plans.
During the June meeting, BL Companies civil engineer Matt Burton said there were as yet no tenants contracted to use the planned structure.
“But I was told there is interest already by some companies to move in,” Cunningham said.
Assistant Planner and Zoning Enforcement Officer Ryan Brais said it’s not unusual for a real estate company to buy an attractive property and then move to lock down tenants before beginning construction.
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“The warehouse they’re looking to build would ideally house one tenant, though there will be room for more, if need be,” he said.
The Indiana-based Scannell company touts itself as a real estate and investment firm that focuses on “build-to-suit and speculative development projects throughout the United States, Canada and Europe," according to its website.
Cunningham said the Plainfield Pike property was formerly an apple orchard business before Plainfield Materials moved its material processing operation onto a portion of the land, which is zoned for industrial use, several years ago.
As part of the site plan approval, Scannell must still make adjustments to its initial proposal by adding more fire hydrants, modifying property lines and gaining final traffic pattern approval from state agencies.
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The company, which received project approval from the town’s Inland, Wetlands & Watercourse Commission in April, also agreed to pay for upgrades to the nearby sewage main and related pump stations.
“There’s no direct tie-in to our sewer system from the property right now,” Cunningham said. “They would have to connect to one of our existing pump stations, which were slated for upgrades anyway.”
The project comes as Amazon continues constructing a 202,044-square-foot “last-mile” distribution warehouse on Lathrop Road. Based on the fees the town garnered for that much more modest project, Cunningham said the town could take in roughly $1 million in permitting fees for the Scannell job.
“And there’s the tax revenue we expect to be generated by the people that move in,” he said.
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Cunningham said he’s already talked to project principals about hosting job fairs for the anticipated construction and operational jobs.
“Besides jobs and revenues, having a large company or companies move in is good for the community,” he said. “They typically look to invest in the town by sponsoring community events and organizations, like Little League.”
Brais said there is no timeline for construction to start and the company has up to five years to begin work before being required to file a permit extension.
John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Scannell Properties to build massive warehouse on Plainfield Pike
