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October 31, 2018

New building rises at 'Gateway to Naugatuck'

Nicole Zappone The new building at 58 Maple St. in Naugatuck, soon to house a Saint Mary's Hospital walk-in clinic and offices.
By Nicole Zappone

Tenants are expected to move into a brand-new building on “Parcel C” in Naugatuck’s downtown as soon as the end of the year, marking the beginning of the end of improvements to a site dubbed “The Gateway to Naugatuck.”

Duct work was near completion in the building, at 58 Maple St., in preparation for occupancy by Saint Mary’s Hospital. Saint Mary’s has said it will use 15,000 square feet for medical offices and a walk-in clinic. MyEyeDr., the Naugatuck outlet of a national optometry chain, has indicated it will rent another 2,800 square feet, taking up occupancy in January or February of 2019. No other tenants have been announced to date.

Developers John Lombard and Rob Oris, doing business as Heritage Downtown LLC, erected the nearly 35,000 square-foot building on the site after buying the land from the borough of Naugatuck for $150,000. Oris and Lombard began working with Naugatuck in 2014 on Parcel C, originally slated to be home to a three-story, 30,000-square-foot building.

The project had generated controversy when residential units were proposed, but Lombard said the site is now entirely commercial. “We have no plans for residential units at this time,” Lombard said. The zoning commission gave its blessing to the expanded project in July 2017.

About 15,000 square feet of space remain available in the new building, which can be subdivided to sizes no smaller than 2,500 square feet. There is also a pad site that can accommodate a 3,000-square-foot building with a drive-through, or a two-story building with a total of 5,000 square feet.

With its central location close to public transit and municipal buildings, Parcel C has been considered crucial to downtown Naugatuck’s revitalization. Other recent improvements in the borough include the reconstruction of the Whittemore Bridge and an addition to Naugatuck High School.

Mayor Pete Hess seemed pleased with the progress of the Parcel C project, although he added that public-transit improvements are needed to kick-start revitalization in downtown Naugatuck.

“The future of downtown hinges on more frequent passenger train service and the relocation of the train platform and station to the adjoining parcel known as Parcel B,” Hess said.

Hess added that the tax revenue expected from the new building is also a plus. “In the interim, this project will bring more people downtown and help make downtown more vibrant,” he said. 

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