Tolland Corporate Campus, Off The Table As Detention Facility, Now Being Marketed For Storage Center

TOLLAND, CT — The property that was recently pulled out of a plan to house a state juvenile detention facility remained on the market this week and is now being touted as a complex "primed for conversion into a self-storage facility."

The Nerac campus, located at 303 Merrow Road is listed on Loopnet.com for $2,499,900.

The building measures 33,778 square feet.

Here is the billing:

"This Class B office space is newly primed for conversion into a self-storage facility, thanks to recently approved zoning amendments and a strong market outlook. With the groundwork already in place, this property represents a unique opportunity to capitalize on the growing demand for self-storage in the Tolland area."

The listing continues, "The proximity to the UConn Storrs campus, which provides steady storage needs from students, faculty, and university staff. The Tolland region is experiencing a broader pattern of economic and population growth, with a rising influx of professionals, families, and renters seeking convenient housing options. This upward trend, combined with limited self-storage supply in the immediate area, makes this an excellent opportunity to fill the gap in the market and capture growing consumer demand.
Turnkey Opportunity."

The reasoning, according to the listing is:

"A Pre-Development Self-Storage Site & Market Feasibility Study conducted by Self Storage 101 has provided a detailed analysis of this opportunity. The study proposes a combination of drive-up, non-climate-controlled units on the vacant land and climate-controlled, interior-access units within the existing building."

On Feb. 18, state Reps Tammy Nuccio and Tim Ackert, state Sen. Jeff Gordon and Tolland Town Manager Brian Foley announced that the proposed state purchase of the Nerac campus by the state for a juvenile detention-related facility has been temporarily halted.

The pause, officials said, followed a "productive meeting" that day between the Tolland legislative delegation, town administrators, representatives of the Judicial Branch, and state officials.

The meeting was facilitated by the Governor’s Office and resulted in an agreement to stop the purchase process until "further evaluations are completed," according to legislative and town officials.

One argument was a "lack of transparency," Gordon and Nuccio said. Judicial Branch officials pointed to state statutes governing real estate transactions that limit public disclosure during negotiations in order to prevent artificial inflation of property values.

However, local leaders were adamant that the community "must have a full understanding of the proposal and its potential impact" before any final decision is made.

About a month later, any plans to convert the property into a juvenile detention center were off the table, Foley said after a meeting with state officials.

"This afternoon members of our state delegation and Town Manager Brian Foley met with the State of Connecticut working group regarding 303 Merrow Road," town officials said. "Justice Joan Alexander informed us that the state will not be pursing 303 Merrow Road for its REGIONS program. The seller has been notified, and the State of Connecticut has also issued a statement. "

The statement from Justice Alexander said, "The Judicial Branch has concluded that a REGIONS facility in Tolland would not serve the best interests of the juveniles in our care or advance the objectives of the program provided by the dedicated staff who work with them."

The property then went back on the open market.

A self-storage facility is currently located at 259 Hartford Turnpike in Tolland near the Vernon line.