From a dockside restaurant on the Connecticut River to an eye-catching car wash north of Hartford, here are some of the commercial developments CT Insider found under municipal review across Connecticut this week.
Cheshire could get a new lumberyard on an 18-acre tract of wooded land on Highland Avenue. The Cheshire Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission was set to hear the proposal Oct. 20. Koopman Lumber’s application calls for a retail showroom, office and storage buildings. The proposal follows the company’s acquisition of Lyon & Billard last year, which operated building supply stores in Cheshire, Meriden, Berlin and East Hampton.
A mix of apartments, commercial and retail space could be built on undeveloped parcels in the East Haddam Business Park off Commerce Drive. Robert Casner needs a permit from the East Haddam Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission, which was reviewing the proposal at an Oct. 20 meeting. Casner serves on several municipal boards, including the Economic Development Commission and the East Haddam Village Revitalization Committee.
Peruvian restaurant Bella Canggio has opened at 78 Main St. in Essex, under owners Julio Cancho and Elena Lettieri. Cancho, owner and head chef of Canggio Restaurant in Norwich, appeared on a 2019 episode of the Food Network show “Chopped.” Canggio closed this summer ahead of the Essex opening. The building previously housed Black Jax Saloon, Wright’s Bar + Wood-fired Grill and Gabrielle’s.
The Dock and Dine restaurant took another step toward returning to Old Saybrook with an Oct. 19 hearing on a proposal to take over the town’s Vicki Duffy Pavilion community center at 155 College St. In exchange, Old Saybrook would get 2.2 acres next door at 145 College St., the restaurant’s former location, with plans to open it to the public as a park.
Diamond Sparkle Car Wash at Dorset Crossing went before the Simsbury Zoning Commission on Oct. 19, seeking permission to operate at 10 Dorset Crossing. The car wash would be located on a grass lot that was originally intended for a pair of retail and office buildings that were never built. Developer Dorset Crossing LLC describes it as an “exceptionally attractive architectural design” and needed service for apartment residents.
A hotel long in the works for downtown Stamford got a zoning administrative review on Oct. 19. Old Towne Hotel would be located at 160 Atlantic St., where an historic Stamford Savings Bank building has been used more recently as offices. The hotel would be 11 stories with 92 guest rooms and suites.
