Shuttered Downtown Fairfield Restaurant Will Be Medical Facility

FAIRFIELD, CT — A medical facility will replace a restaurant in downtown Fairfield after the eatery closed earlier this year in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Hartford HealthCare will occupy the old post office property at 1262 Post Road. Most recently home to Plan B Burger Bar, the health provider intends to use the site as an urgent care center, primary care office and men’s health center, according to zoning documents, although a spokeswoman for Hartford HealthCare said definitive plans were pending.

The news comes after Plan B’s parent company disclosed in April that the Fairfield location was “pausing operations” due to the pandemic, with plans to reopen later in the year after a period of reinvestment, the Connecticut Post reported at the time.

“They really didn’t survive through the temporary lockdown and closures resulting in that,” Fairfield Community and Economic Development Director Mark Barnhart said, adding that even before the pandemic, Plan B was evaluating its business in Fairfield.

Plan B, which has several locations in Connecticut, did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment.

The restaurant opened in 2015 in a 15,000-square-foot building, which retained the facade of the post office that once operated on the site. The Town Plan and Zoning Commission approved a compliance application Tuesday to allow medical offices at the property, which has 59 parking spaces plus off-site parking for employees.

“This would be an excellent use for the space,” commission Secretary Meg Francis said. “It’s right across from another major medical building, so that would be helpful, too.”

The nearly 50,000-square-foot former post office property neighbors Pediatric Healthcare Associates on Unquowa Place. While commission members spoke favorably of the plans for the Post Road building and approved the application unanimously, it was clear Plan B would be missed.

“I liked Plan B,” Chair Matthew Wagner said. “I was sorry to see that one go.”