SEYMOUR – Court filings show that settlement talks are continuing in a lawsuit between the Town of Seymour and the entities that control Tri-Town Plaza at 850 Derby Ave.
The town, through its building inspector Jim Baldwin, took Tri-Town to court in August 2022 over a series of safety concerns that the town said had not been addressed for years.
The safety issues were found after portions of the buildings at Tri-Town were demolished in 2018, according to court documents. The work left behind structural problems that were a threat to public safety, according to court filings from the town.
A blight designation was issued by the town in 2021, followed by the town filing the lawsuit in 2022
Ron Spector, the Nevada resident who has been the face of Tri-Town for decades, has said all safety concerns have been addressed.
On June 17 the members of the Seymour Board of Selectpersons authorized their attorney to enter into negotiations to settle the dispute. Click here for a previous story.
On July 31, the lawyers in the case filed a document in court asking that they be given until Aug. 22 to see if they can settle.
“The parties continue to discuss a full resolution of this matter, and are optimistic that settlement can be achieved. The Town of Seymour needs to discuss the matter at a Board of Selectperson’s meeting in August,” according to the document.
The Seymour Board of Selectpersons is scheduled to meet 7 p.m. Aug. 19.
The town and its building official are listed as the plaintiffs in the complaint. The defendants are Goodyear Property Management, LLC, along with Mark and Ellen Shaw, the trustees of the William H. Shaw Connecticut Realty Trust; and Connecticut Properties Tri-Town Plaza, LLC. Spector is the managing partner of that LLC.
Goodyear and the Shaw trust own the property. Spector’s LLC is the tenant, with a 99-year lease that started in 1961.
Tri-Town Plaza at one time was home to an Ames department store, Adams grocery store and a multi-screen movie theater. There are a few remaining businesses in the plaza, including Alberto’s restaurant, Subway, Dunkin Donuts and Black Hole Jiu Jitsu martial arts school.