Town EDC Website:

Fireside Inn Is On The Market

By John Voket

The Fireside Inn at 123 South Main Street and the nearly eight acres it sits on is currently listed for sale among 28 available buildings and sites linked through Newtown’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) website. The facility has been and continues to be the site of countless community and private events, political forums, sports banquets, and catered dinners. The asking price for the 21,000 square-foot building and the 7.85-acre site is $4,950,000.

The Newtown Assessors Office lists the current owner of the property as Donjim Realty, LLC. After being contacted by The Bee Thursday morning, owner Don Mr Pulieri acknowledged the property was for sale, but offered no further comments for publication.

Commenting on the public listing, Newtown Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker told The Bee the current B-2 zoning on the site might allow for a shopping center with the possibility of a standalone restaurant, for example.

“I believe that property could be made into a shopping center, with a grocery, restaurant or food service operation among its uses,” she said.

According to the land use regulations listed for a B-2 classification on the town’s website, the following are among the various use criteria, subject to obtaining a special exception from the Planning and Zoning Commission in accordance with the standards, criteria, conditions and procedures that are set forth in the general regulations:

In certain instances, a child care center;

A public garage or filling station, or car wash except within the Aquifer Protection District;

A bowling alley;

A single building of less than 10,000 square feet housing not more than five first floor offices including banks or other financial institutions, plus five second floor offices;

An indoor theater;

A hand laundry, laundromat or dry cleaning establishment.

The B-2 regulations also stipulate more than one detached building may be placed on the lot. Buildings and parking areas shall be arranged in such a way as to promote the orderly and safe flow of traffic within the shopping center and promote the convenience and safety of pedestrians therein.

All buildings within such a shopping center must be in harmony with each other as to architectural design and exterior surface. And the maximum gross floor area allowed for any single retail store or shop located within a shopping center shall be limited to 40,000 square feet.

Parking shall be at least one space for every 150 square feet of gross floor area for shopping centers having up to 50,000 square feet of gross floor area. Parking shall be at least one space for every 200 square feet of gross floor area for shopping centers of 50,000 square feet or more of gross floor area.

The listing is advertised by realtor Robert Cascella at Coldwell Banker Commercial Scalzo Group in Bethel. Mr Cascella is a former first selectman of Newtown. A call and email made to Mr Cascella requesting comment on the public listing was not returned as The Bee went to press Thursday morning.

The listing states the property has 450 feet frontage on Route 25. The 21,000-square-foot restaurant/banquet hall has an 15,000-additional-square-foot lower level. The potential pad site up to 40,000 square feet is serviced by city water.

The building was originally constructed in 1973. According to the EDC website, the next closest-sized property available in town is an industrial building at 9 Turnberry Lane which is sub-dividable and offered at $90 per square foot or $2,329,650.

These and other listings are provided as a service by the EDC, but are actually posted on SiteFinder. SiteFinder has been developed by and is managed by CERC (the Connecticut Economic Resource Center), a nonprofit company specializing in economic development and marketing for local, regional, state, and utility economic development entities.

Funded by ten of the state’s utility and telecommunications companies in partnership with state government, CERC also markets the state as a competitive business location. For more information about CERC, visit www.cerc.com.