Demolition at Tri-Town Plaza in Seymour started in December 2018, according to this Facebook image posted by The Valley Post.
SEYMOUR — The town’s building inspector wants a judge to intervene at Tri-Town Plaza, a partially demolished shopping plaza at 814 Derby Ave.
Court documents show Seymour Building Inspector Jim Baldwin has been trying for more than a year to get unsafe conditions at the property addressed.
The problems started after the central portion of the strip mall, which used to be an Ames store, was torn down in 2018.
A court filing describes the action as a partial teardown of Ames, which left behind structural problems that pose a threat to safety, town officials allege.
The land at 814 Derby Ave. is owned by Goodyear Property Management, LLC, along with Mark and Ellen Shaw, the trustees of the William H. Shaw Connecticut Realty Trust.
Connecticut Properties Tri-Town Plaza, LLC is the tenant, and controls the property, according to court documents. Ron Spector, of Nevada, is the managing partment of the Tri-Town Plaza, LLC.
Tri-Town Plaza, LLC has a 1961 lease agreement with the owners valid for 99 years.
Court documents allege Baldwin has notified the owners and Tri-Town LLC several times about safety issues at what’s left of the Ames section of the shopping plaza. The property was cited with a blight violation in 2021.
The problems include:
* Unsecured and failed structural components in the roof assembly
* Structural components not protected from frost and weathering
* Exterior walls with extensive cracks
* Walls that appear to be failing
The owners and tenant have done nothing to address the problems, despite ample time and notice, the town alleges. A court complaint filed in July asks a judge to force the owners or tenant to fix the problems.
The owners (Goodyear Property Management, LLC and the Shaw trust) filed a cross claim on Aug. 23. They say that, according to a 1961 lease, the tenant (Tri-Town Plaza LLC) is responsible for making the repairs.
The owners allege that since no repairs have been made, Tri-Town Plaza LLC is in breach of the long-standing lease agreement.
The owners are threatening to terminate the lease, cut Spector’s Tri-Town LLC out of the picture and take possession of the property entirely.
In an email, Spector said Seymour is “back in the lawsuit business.”
“Perhaps they can better explain why they want to spend town money on conflict, without any direct supervision or involvement. I’m not sure what’s to be gained from wasting everyone’s money,” Spector said.
The court case was scheduled to have a hearing Aug. 29, but it was continued because an attorney was not available.
The existing businesses in the plaza include Hair Intrigue, Alberto’s Restaurant, and a Dunkin Donuts. The Tire Shack is in the plaza, but is technically not part of the property. A movie theater closed at the start of the pandemic.
