SEYMOUR – The town will receive $35,000 after settling a lawsuit with the entities that control Tri-Town Plaza, an under-developed shopping center at 850 Derby Ave.
The town, through its building inspector, sued Tri-Town in August 2022, alleging unsafe conditions at the site after a chunk of the plaza was razed in 2018. The town said notices to correct the situation were ignored.
The lawsuit was withdrawn Sept. 10, according to the case file.
“All the building code violations were rectified. The town is moving on. The case brought by the town was settled and resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties,” said Richard Buturla, the Seymour town attorney.
The town initially alleged the Tri-Town Plaza parties owed the Town of Seymour $73,923.01. That amount included daily fines for not complying with the building inspector’s corrective order, engineering fees, attorney fees, state marshal fees and court reporter fees.
The Seymour Board of Selectpersons (the town’s legislative body) authorized Buturla to negotiate a settlement June 17. Click here for a previous story.
“It’s awesome news,” Drugonis said. “It makes me feel good that we’re finally able to put this behind us and move on. We are working now with Mr. (Ron) Spector who is working to get businesses in there. It’s all about getting the businesses in there. I believe Mr. Spector wants to do that with his property as well.”
Spector is the managing partner of Connecticut Properties Tri-Town Plaza, LLC, the company that has a 99-year lease with the property’s owners, Goodyear Property Management LLC and the trustees of the William H. Shaw Connecticut Realty Trust. The lease was signed in 1961.
Spector declined comment for this story. However, he previously told The Valley Indy the issues pointed out by the town were fixed several years ago.
While the Town of Seymour is officially out of the lawsuit, a cross complaint between Spector and the property owners is still pending in court. The owners alleged the violations uncovered by the town represent a breach of their contract with Spector.
It’s a municipal election year in Connecticut. Drugonis is being challenged for her seat by Theresa Conroy, a member of the Board of Selectpersons.
Conroy said resolving the lawsuit was the right move and opens the door to strengthening the tax base.
“Resolving the Tri-Town Plaza safety lawsuit and confirming that all violations have been rectified removes a major barrier for new investment. Prospective businesses can now look at Tri-Town with confidence, knowing the site is safe, compliant, and ready for redevelopment,” Conroy said in an email.
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.
A new business, Willow Academy, a daycare facility, opened in the plaza earlier this month.
Ames closed in 2002, and Adam’s supermarket closed in 2003. The two anchor stores comprised about 94,000-square-feet of space.