Pet Hospital in the Works, Solar Farm Planned, Pizza Restaurant to Reopen: East Haven Economic Development Update

EAST HAVEN, CT - Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. delivered his state of the town address Monday night at East Haven High School in which he said he remains "humbled and thankful for the opportunity to continue to serve the people and the community that I love."

"The story of East Haven, especially since 2011, has been marked by shared struggle and resilience. With hard work, grounded in a commitment to respect for all individuals, we have put what the New Haven Register called "the dark days" in our Town's history squarely in the past and made real progress restoring accountability and public trust in both our government and our Police Department," Maturo said.

"At the time same, we've pulled ourselves out of the ugly cycle of deficit-spending and ended our dependency on costly borrowing, breaking the bad fiscal habits of the past administration. In these short five years, we've transformed our community from one of the most indebted towns on the shoreline into a model of fiscal success for others to follow.

You can call it a "metamorphosis," or a "renaissance." In fact others, including the New Haven Register, have done so. I call it "pride." We have re-inspired pride in East Haven, both for those who call East Haven home and for others across the region, by re-committing to the principles of respect, fair play, and hard work that have always defined what it has meant to be from East Haven.

Over the past five years we've faced cultural struggles, tragic accidents, natural disasters, and unique fiscal challenges that would have sent any municipality spiraling into chaos. However, it is with great pride that I say that we have emerged from those "dark days" as a STRONGER community than we have ever been," Maturo said.

The entire speech is 26 pages, so we'll bring you key parts over the coming days, but there was some interesting news shared concerning economic development in town.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

In addition to a number of Town-wide improvements, the Town also saw a substantial increase in economic development in the past year thanks to the efforts of the Town’s economic development coordinator Sal Brancati, Maturo said in prepared remarks.

At present, the Town is working with the “East Haven Veterinarian Hospital and Pet Center” to open a pet hospital in the Home Depot Shopping Plaza. In addition to medical care, the facility will offer daycare, training, and rental supplies.

On the medical forefront, the Town also helped to relocate the “Fair Haven Community Health Clinic,” an early childhood medical facility, to the Stop and Shop Plaza.

The facility, which is presently under construction, will offer primary medical care and is set to open in the next few weeks.

Additionally, this past year, the Town Council approved a plan for Elks Lodge #0025, presently located on State Street in New Haven, to relocate to the old “Apizza Grande” building on Coe Avenue.

Although the final contract has not been negotiated yet, the Town anticipates selling the property in the coming weeks and that the lodge may open by the fall of this year. And for those of you who miss the actual “Apizza Grande,” we 8 also have good news.

The original “Apizza Grande” is actually slated to re-open a 7,500 square foot restaurant just up the road at 400 Coe Avenue within the next couple of months.

The past year also saw exciting growth in our Industrial Park, which is slated to be entirely full in the coming months. Next week, the Town Council is set to approve the sale of land abutting the Industrial Park to accommodate the relocation of “Augliera Moving and Storage” to 158 Commerce Street.

This relocation, while brining a tremendous new business to East Haven, is also estimated to bring in $60,000 dollars in new yearly tax revenue.

At the same time, the 84 Group Empire and Mercantile Company, which imports and distributes moving supplies for large retailers, is also anticipated to open soon at 133 Commerce Street.

Finally, as part of the Town’s efforts to continue “going green,” the Town is presently in negotiations to lease land abutting the Industrial Park for a 4-Megawatt Solar Farm.

If it comes to fruition, this solar farm will not only bring in a host of new tax revenue, but it will also save the Town approximately 20% on its monthly energy bills.