Developer Bob Scinto spent the summer working on plans and preparations for a 94,000 square-foot manufacturing building in Shelton. Farrel Corp., a rubber and plastics manufacturing company, was looking to move there from downtown Ansonia.
Now Scinto has the go-ahead to build — but no tenant.
Farrel pulled out of the deal.
“I did a lot of work. I spent a lot of money,” Scinto said. “I got a traffic report done, did engineering, designed the plan. I invested over $50,000 in the transaction.”
Farrel representatives told Scinto last month they were no longer interested in relocating to Shelton, Scinto said.
James Burns, the general counsel for Farrel Corporation, declined to comment on whether that meant Farrel will stay in Ansonia.
“We’re not commenting on our location plans at this point,” Burns said. “I don’t know when I’ll be authorized to comment.”
But Ansonia Mayor James Della Volpe said he’s been told by Farrel officials that the plan is to stay in Ansonia and make upgrades to old factory buildings downtown. (Read about Ansonia business reaction to the initial announcement Farrel was looking to leave.)
“They indicated they were staying for at least five years,” Della Volpe said. “They are going to renovate some of the buildings up there. I’ll be meeting with them in the next couple of weeks to find out how the city can help them.”
A Rush
Scinto said Farrel approached him about creating a new building tailored to their needs. The company was looking to have something ready within nine months, Scinto said.
The Fountain Lake property near the Seymour border Scinto is developing wouldn’t be ready soon enough, so Scinto proposed a new building on Waterview Drive in Shelton.
In July, the plans for a 94,000 square-foot manufacturing and office building at the Shelton property won approval from the Shelton Planning and Zoning Commission.
“The condo people (who live near the property) couldn’t be nicer people. They actually came to the hearing and supported the application,” Scinto said. “The zoning commission couldn’t be nicer either. I asked them if they could pass it the night they heard it because I had to guarantee I would get (Farrel) in the building in a year.”
The building was designed to include 60,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 34,000 square feet of office space on nine acres, at a cost of $10 million. Scinto had planned to lease the property to Farrel.
He still plans to move forward with a development on the Shelton site.
“I’ll find someone else for it,” Scinto said.
Too Expensive
Scinto and Della Volpe said cost was a factor in Farrel’s decision to stay put.
The company was purchased by the H.F. Machinery Group, a division of L. Possehl & Co. of Lubeck, Germany earlier this year, and Scinto said he understood they didn’t want to invest money in the United States right now.
“The cost to move all their equipment and set it up would be astronomical,” Della Volpe said. “They have the space here and they’re going to try to make it work.”
