Giant Step Forward
By Robin Vinci | Editor at December 11, 2023 | 6:30 pm | Print
Ice Cream Among New Projects
New Businesses may soon be popping up in New Britain. As the CTFastrak Project comes closer to completion, businesses across the country are calling the Mayor’s Office inquiring about what space is open in the City.
“We have been getting a lot of inquiries and giving a lot of tours of the City lately. There are a lot on a weekly basis,” said Mayor Erin Stewart. “Every developer has cited the coming of CTFastrak and have been following New Britain’s progress in the newspapers and are seeing excitement and opportunity happening here.”
Leading the way has been Costco, but another project getting started on Farmington Ave. is drawing plenty of attention at this time.
On Monday at 1 p.m. an official groundbreaking will take place at the area known by residents as where the Guida’s Ice Cream store used to be held.
Bill Carroll, business development director, said that property closed in October at a bit over $1 million and some light work has been done already.
“People always ask why ‘doesn’t Guida’s re-open the ice cream store’. It got to be too much for them and has been vacant for more than 10 years,” said Carroll. “There were a number of developers over the years that were after that property; Everything from a hotel site to a plaza and a CVS. One of the biggest obstacles was the neighborhood. They weren’t too happy about lighting and traffic.”
About a year ago, Michael Frisbee of Hunter Development came to the Mayor’s Office and said what he wanted to build a service station.
“He was a straight shooter,” said Carroll. “Now he is attaching a Dunkin’ Donuts to the service station with a drive-in.”
The Dunkin’ Donuts will be owned by Cary Gagnon who also owns the store at NewBrite Plaza and on Main St. It will move from Farmingdale Plaza on Farmington Ave. to the new location.
“The first thing I told him (Frisbee) was to see if there was anything he could do to bring in a dairy bar and he is moving on it,” said Stewart.
An ice dream store will be located on the property in a Cape Cod Style building of about 3,000 square feet. There will be 30 seats with a seating area also outside and music. It we be surrounded by a retaining wall.
Students from Central Connecticut State University helped in the design and several of the original booths from Guida’s Ice Cream will be inside.
The gas station will be Frisbee’s own branding of Noble Gas.
Both Guida’s buildings on Farmington Ave. will be coming down.
All three of these new stores will be open in the Spring of 2015. A senior care facility is presently in negotiations for the property and more businesses may be announced in the Spring.
Local businesses such as LTC Construction are being used for the project.
“We knew this was going to happen, but now to actually see it coming to fruition is exciting.” said Stewart. “People come in and give big grandiose ideas all the time. You never know what to believe until you see the plan and this one is 110 percent happening.”
Frisbee is from Coventry and has put up successful businesses across the state said Stewart.
“Overall we talk about the fact that New Britain is in a time of transition. This is just another developer that looked at New Britain and wants to bring his business here,” said Stewart. “We are looking forward to transform that area into the gateway to New Britain.”
Also, the old New Britain Herald building was purchased at auction recently and the owners are looking at remediation and may make it into office space.
