Groton City resident Bryon Niemann remembers going to Thames Street regularly as a child to buy comic books and candies.
The shops on the street catered to the neighborhood during a time when most households only had one car, if that, he said.
But like in most places in the country, many of those businesses gave way to big-box stores and malls, which then gave way to the internet, he said. Now, Thames Street has massive traffic but hardly anyone stops, and if they do, they find it hard to find a parking spot, he said.
Niemann, who has lived near Thames Street on and off for 60 years and has seen the street in its many forms, was among about a dozen city residents who gathered outside during a workshop the city held Thursday evening at Thames View Park to share their perspectives on Thames Street and ideas for the corridor s future.
Groton A local company s plans to purchase the Mother Bailey House from the city and renovate the 18th-century structure at the corner of Thames and Broad Streets into a single-family home are expected to be approved next week.
City Council members on Monday spoke in favor of a proposed agreement with FTTB LLC, which will purchase the house at 108 Thames St. and adjacent property at 0 Broad Street for $1 and renovate the exterior of the house according to historical standards. A vote on the purchase and sales agreement is scheduled for Tuesday s Mayor and council meeting.
City Mayor Keith Hedrick said the proposal will get the properties back on the tax rolls. The plan is to sell both properties for $1 due to the significant cost of the restoration of the Mother Bailey House, which requires extensive renovations, including work to its foundation, windows and clapboard siding. The proposed purchase and sales agreement requires the developer to restore the houses
Groton The City of Groton Planning and Zoning Commission has denied a master plan application for the redevelopment of several properties on the corner of Benham and Poquonnock roads in the Five Corners area of the city. The application had been the first step in a plan to create a mixed-use development at Five Corners, within walking distance of Electric Boat.
GBU Capital LLC of Scottsdale, Ariz., had applied for approval of a mixed-use design district “floating zone” and master plan for 2 Benham Road/91 Poquonnock Road, 8, 22 and 46 Benham Road and 1 Mariani Court. If the developer received approval, it then would apply for site plan approval for a building with commercial space on the first floor and apartments on the upper four floors. Parking was proposed on site and at 46 Benham Road.
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