Growing Demand Drives East Granby Expansion

EAST GRANBY, CT — Coherent has received conditional approval for a 30,000-square-foot expansion of its East Granby manufacturing facility.

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Sept. 30 to approve the addition and related parking improvements at 7 Airport Park Road, according to the commission's special meeting minutes.

The project still requires a height variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The approval also requires the property owner to meet conditions set by the town engineer and town planner and merge the parcels involved in the project.

Coherent operates the East Granby facility under the Nufern name. The site designs, develops and manufactures specialty optical fiber products used in science, medicine, defense and industrial applications, according to the company's facility page and quality certification documents.

During an earlier commission meeting, Coherent representative Steffen Wilhelm said the company wants to expand because demand for fiber optics has increased, according to the Sept. 8 meeting minutes.

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The commission did not act on the application at its Sept. 8 meeting. Members requested additional time as the town's deadline for deciding the application approached, and the company agreed to extend the review period by 15 days.

Revised plans and architectural drawings were presented at the Sept. 30 special meeting. Allan Borghesi of Borghesi Building also submitted a Sept. 29 letter from Borghesi Engineering, while town staff outlined conditions involving landscaping, parking, lighting and engineering issues.

The published minutes contain no resident comments supporting or opposing the expansion. The commission's approval was unanimous.

The local project comes as Coherent reports growing demand across its business. In an August earnings announcement, CEO Jim Anderson said the company entered its new fiscal year with “exceptional customer demand” and plans to expand production capacity. The announcement did not identify the East Granby project.

The company has not publicly disclosed the project's cost, construction schedule or whether the expansion will create additional jobs.

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