184 Route 12, Groton
Chuck Ambulos of Londregan Commercial Real Estate Group was the sole broker in the purchase and sale of 527 Long Hill Road in Groton, better known as the former Ponderosa restaurant, and 184 Route 12, the former International House of Pancakes in Groton. Together, the properties sold for a total of $1 million.
The sellers, Dr. and Mrs. Paul Mali, said they have long enjoyed having the two investment properties in their portfolio, as they are located within one of the best business districts in southeastern Connecticut. At a time when Groton and all of southeastern Connecticut were faced with a distinct possibility that Groton’s Naval Submarine Base New London was going to close, Ambulos provided the buyer, Brenmore Properties, the incentive of investing for the future with both properties.
Londregan Commercial Real Estate Group is a full-service brokerage firm located in Old Saybrook. While specializing in the retail and fast food site selection niches, Londregan Commercial is highly sought-after for its marketing and closing abilities in all areas of commercial real estate. Retail and restaurant land sites, investment properties of all types, hotels and motels, and motel sites also have been an integral part of the firm’s activity.
Kay Completes Plaza
The Kay Cos., one of New England’s leading general construction and construction management firms, recently completed construction of a new 60,000-square-foot Stop & Shop Supermarket in the Southbury Plaza in Southbury.
Mercantile Construction Corp., a subsidiary of The Kay Cos., served as the general contractor for the project, which got under way last spring. Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. is the largest food retailer in New England and operates more than 345 stores in New England, New York and New Jersey. The Kay Cos. has worked closely with the Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. on many projects across the Northeast in the past.
Along with constructing the new store, Kay also upgraded the parking area and installed a septic system upgrade for the entire plaza, along with new utilities including water, gas and drainage.
“This was an exciting and challenging project for us, especially considering it took place in a busy retail plaza with other merchants and the general shopping public going about their business around us,” said Bernie Lannquist, president of Mercantile Construction Corp. “We also had the goal of getting the store open before Thanksgiving, which meant we worked on a fast-track schedule. In the end, it all worked out well as we accomplished our goal and kept disruptions at the plaza to a minimum.”
To accomplish those goals, Mercantile worked in phases, focusing on one section of the project at a time. For each section, Mercantile used Jersey barriers and gates to separate itself from the rest of the plaza in designated “Work Only” areas. That allowed general traffic to flow in and out of the plaza and provided ample parking to visitors. The same process was repeated with every section of the project.
To further ensure minimum disruptions to the retail plaza, Mercantile created truck-only access roads away from shoppers so that deliveries could be made and debris could be hauled out. The company also scheduled material deliveries at night and performed any tasks deemed overly disruptive during evening hours after the shops had closed.
