Marketing Campaign Begins For Curtis Corporate Park

By Andrew Gorosko

Curtis Corporation has begun marketing its planned 12-lot Curtis Corporate Park for commercial/light industrial uses on land adjacent to its Toddy Hill Road factory/warehouse complex in Sandy Hook.

Century 21-Scalzo Commercial Realty of Bethel will be the marketing agent for Curtis Corporate Park.

The project received Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) approval last January. The land lies just south of the intersection of Route 34 and Toddy Hill Road. Curtis will retain the 13th lot of the 49-acre subdivision for its existing factory/warehouse complex. A dead-end street, called Turnberry Lane, will extend eastward from Toddy Hill Road, providing access to the 12 lots envisioned for other companies’ industrial use. The new road will enter the property at the point where Newtown Sand and Gravel’s driveway meets Toddy Hill Road.

Donald Droppo, president of Curtis Corp, said in a prepared statement that Century 21-Scalzo will be the exclusive marketing agents for the project. “They have worked hand-in-glove with me starting from the beginning concept and have shown a great deal of professionalism and acumen all the way through the process.”

The 12 lots on the site range from one acre to 4.7 acres.

The five smaller lots are intended for build-to-suit situations. Companies that are in the market for leased space can have Curtis Corporation construct their building to the company’s specifications, according to Curtis.

The seven larger lots on the site are for sale at prices ranging from $199,000 to $399,000.

Hal Kurfehs, a listing broker on the marketing project, said that Curtis Corporate Park is one of the few new such facilities to be built in Greater Danbury in recent years.

George Vermilyea, who is also a listing broker, said the park will offer good drainage, relatively flat land, flexibility in lot configurations, leasing or sale options, and easy access to Interstate 84 and Routes 34 and 25.

Mr Droppo said he wants to maintain an “upscale” look to the industrial park. A town architectural review of proposed construction will be required before building plans are submitted.

The development site is a mined-out sand and gravel quarry, which has been worked by Newtown Sand & Gravel. Curtis will donate Curtis Pond, a 10-acre dammed pond on the eastern edge of the site, to the Newtown Forest Association for passive recreation. Curtis also will give the association the dam that holds back the pond.

The site plan for each of the 12 lots to be developed by various firms in the industrial park will be reviewed for compliance with town aquifer protection regulations. In that review process, the Conservation Commission makes recommendations to the P&Z.  The P&Z will review the visual and noise aspects of the specific development that is proposed for each lot.

The firms that buy the industrial lots are expected to erect steel-framed buildings with office building facades. The rear sections of some buildings would contain warehouse space. Each lot would have individual water wells and septic systems. Water from Curtis Pond would supply a fire protection system.

The town’s land use regulations allow a variety of uses in such an industrial park, including offices, publishing firms, shopping centers, plus various light industrial uses including manufacturing, packaging, bottling, assembly, wholesaling, and bulk storage, among others.