
CT DOT CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The buildings that are scheduled to be demolished in Derby.
UPDATE: GUEST WHAT? THE SNOW HAS PUSHED THE DEMO DATE TO WEDNESDAY.
Weather permitting, a state contractor will begin taking down three buildings Tuesday at the corner of Factory and Main Street to make room for the Main Street widening project.
Main Street is a state road also called Route 34.
“On Monday the fourth they’ll be putting the fencing up to be able to keep the demo contained. On Tuesday the fifth they will start demo at approximately 9 in the morning,” Andrew Baklik, Mayor Rich Dziekan’s chief of staff, said Thursday.
The demo work will take about a week. Work will stop each day about 4 p.m., Baklik said.
The widening project has been kicking around for years, with ever-changing shove-in-the-ground start dates. The buildings that are coming down Tuesday were supposed to be down in early 2018.
Derby officials now back away from providing a firm start date because of past experiences, though Baklik said the state is scheduled to put the project out to bid this summer.
The fact the work is happening is important, Baklik said.
“It shows the state is truly getting things ready for the Route 34 widening project. We’ve all waited a long time for this to happen. These buildings coming down are just another sign that things are happening,” he said.
Meanwhile, utility companies have been on Main Street exploring whether they’ll keep the infrastructure under the road or move to another location.
“There’s a lot of grunt work happening,” Baklik said.
Carmen DiCenso, the city’s economic development liaison, also stressed that things are happening in the redevelopment zone. A development group is expected to propose 200 apartments to the city’s planning and zoning commission this month.
“Progress is the best thing that can happen. We’ve been waiting for years for this to happen. Finally we have an administration that is really pushing the progress,” DiCenso said.
The city is also conducting interviews with developers interested in purchasing some or all of the city-owned properties in the redevelopment zone, which stretches from the Derby-Shelton bridge to Factory Street. About three developers will be asked to present ideas for development. Derby owns about 10 parcels in the redevelopment zone.
Derby is also getting an appraisal for about 26 acres of land behind BJ’s Wholesale off Division Street. About 11 acres can handle light-industrial development. The idea is to eventually sell the land as-is.
The city is also looking to put the former VARCA building on Coon Hollow Road out to bid. One buyer is very interested. The city had considered using the building for public use, but decided it was too costly. Click here for a previous story.
The city also wants to sell a previously blighted property at 67 – 71 Minerva St. that used to be a small factory. Derby took over the property after foreclosing on back taxes. Some environmental testing is needed on the property before the city can get an idea of what it’s worth. The city also plans to sell a little-used municipal parking lot across the street from the building.