SEYMOUR – Developer Tom Haynes said building a public road from behind Stop & Shop to Route 42 in Beacon Falls would trigger his company to invest in a $100 million project.
Haynes is the developer behind the mixed-use “Quarry Walk” on Route 67 in Oxford about three miles away. He wants to bring something like that to Seymour by developing about 200 acres he owns behind the Stop & Shop off Franklin Street.
“We just finished Quarry Walk up the street, which created 2,000 jobs there that didn’t exist when we were running a little quarry there,” Haynes said. “That project generates over $1 million to the Town of Oxford in annual property taxes, and that’s just on 30 acres. This project, in Seymour and Beacon Falls, is so much bigger and more significant.”
Though everything is conceptual at this point, Haynes said he envisions building a multi-use development of housing, retail and commercial space, similar to what Haynes did with Quarry Walk but on more land.
The economic benefits to both Seymour and Beacon Falls’ tax bases should be significant, Haynes said.
There are no specific plans for Haynes’ long-term development plans at this point.
Seymour, Beacon Falls and Haynes are applying for a $16 million grant that would be used to build the road that will open the land to development. The town held a public hearing on the grant on Dec. 5. About 50 people attended the hearing at Seymour Town Hall.
Mark Jewell, a senior planner for VHB in Wethersfield working for Haynes, fielded questions from the audience, which ranged from concerns about blasting to pedestrian safety.
Resident Donald Hallaman questioned whether public opinion was actually being taken into consideration at the public hearing. He doubted whether a new access road and a big development would lower the tax rate.
Taxes never go down, he said.
“What I don’t like is being told it is going to do this, when we all know it’s not. When did you see anything go down?
Hallaman’s comments echoed earlier comments on Valley Indy Facebook, where readers questioned whether the road project is being pursued just to benefit the developer.
Haynes responded to Hallaman by saying the $16 million grant application is a partnership between Seymour, Beacon Falls and his company. He described it as an economic development project.
“Our agreement, Haynes’ agreement, with the state, is that we will invest $100 million alongside that road in phase one. There are multiple phases,” Haynes said.
He also said he will sign an agreement with the state saying that if he doesn’t invest $100 million, he must pay back the $16 million grant.
“This is not just ‘stick a road in.’ The state said ‘this is a fantastic project, but you, the developer, need to be a partner,” Haynes said.
The developer said the grant will kick-start the project. Haynes said it would take years to get the project off the ground without the grant.
The public hearing was posted to YouTube. The Valley Indy clipped the part of the discussion between Hallaman and Haynes. Click the play button below to watch.
The Valley Indy emailed a follow-up question on Monday asking for clarification on why taxpayer money is needed. A spokeswoman for Haynes repeated that the grant comes with a promise of private investment.
Jim Carrol of Beacon Falls asked how his town will benefit from a new road and large development.
Haynes said both Beacon Falls and Seymour will reap the benefits.
“Our commitment is that this is an equal project for both towns, and all the benefits, community, jobs, economic development and recreation is meant to be for both towns,” Haynes said.
Beacon Falls First Selectman Gerard Smith was not on hand at the Seymour hearing. The Valley Indy reached out to Smith to get his thoughts on the project.
“This project has been around in many different configurations since I was First Selectman in 2011,” Smith told the Valley Indy via an email. “If and when the project moves forward, Beacon Falls will hold a formal public hearing to present a formal plan to the residents. The possibilities are endless for both communities to reap the benefits from the project.”
The deadline to submit the grant application was Dec. 15. Seymour initially submitted the application in August but was denied because the town failed to hold a public hearing. Seymour’s Economic Development Consultant Sheila O’Malley said because road patterns are going to be changed, the state Department of Transportation required public participation in the process.
The grant is through the state Department of Economic and Community Development-in particular, its Community Investment Fund. The fund is open to 55 municipalities in Connecticut.
O’Malley said she will resubmit the grant application to the DECD, and anticipates hearing whether it’s been approved sometime in February.
O’Malley said a $3 million federal grant from U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro was previously secured for the road. The additional $16 million will ensure the connector road – which will be about a mile-long on the Seymour side, and almost a mile on the Beacon Falls’ side – is designed and built.
The funds would also be used to expand Seymour’s greenway, having it run alongside the Naugatuck River into Beacon Falls and Naugatuck.
“This is a really positive project for Seymour and Beacon Falls,” O’Malley told the crowd at the hearing. “This will be impactful to the entire Valley. What we’re getting is a $100 million private investment with thousands of jobs. This is almost like a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
