An artist’s rendering of the new home planned for Uniprop AM, LLC and Connecticut Portable Storage LLC .
The Mayor’s Office announced in a press release the Bristol Development Authority and Planning Commission has granted the necessary approvals to allow Uniprop AM, LLC and Connecticut Portable Storage LLC to begin construction on a 127,000 square foot distribution facility that will bolster the city’s tax base, bring up to 40 new jobs to Bristol, and continue momentum in the City’s red-hot Southeast Bristol Business Park.
Uniprop AM, LLC will buy approximately 14 acres of land fronting CT-229 (Middle Street) within the Southeast Bristol Business Park at a cost of $703,040. Connecticut Portable Storage LLC, which operates as the Connecticut/Western Massachusetts franchise of the portable storage container company PODS, will occupy the facility. Connecticut Portable Storage will merge two PODS distribution operations located elsewhere in Connecticut and move all operations to Bristol.
“We could not be more excited to welcome Uniprop and Connecticut Portable Storage to the City of Bristol,” said Mayor Ken Cockayne in the press release from his office. “Glenn Couch and Roger Zlotoff of Uniprop have been a pleasure to work with by communicating their requirements as the developer but also working to accommodate the city’s interests and requirements. Also, Robert Robitaille of Connecticut Portable Storage is an incredibly sharp, down-to-earth business owner that will be a welcome addition to the community.”
Glenn Couch of Uniprop, according to the press release, cited the support that his company received from City of Bristol staff and policymakers as a key factor in his decision to locate in Bristol. “There are other locations in the area that Uniprop and Connecticut Portable Storage could have chosen to develop,” he stated, according to the press release. “It became clear that Mayor Cockayne and his team would make our project a priority to ensure Bristol rose above other communities under consideration. Uniprop and Connecticut Portable Storage are grateful for the support we have received from city staff, the Bristol Development Authority Board, Planning Commission, City Council, and the community.”
The project is particularly important, added Justin Malley, executive Director of the Bristol Development Authority, according to the press release, because Connecticut Portable Storage will occupy the largest, most high-profile building lot in the business park. “Over the last few years we have built momentum in the Southeast Bristol Business Park after welcoming CMI Specialty Products and Precision Threaded Products years ago,” he said in the press release. “We recently brought on GMN USA to develop Lot No. 4, followed by a planned expansion of CMI Specialty Products, and now invite Uniprop and Connecticut Portable Storage to begin construction of one of the largest distribution buildings in the area.”
Mayor Cockayne added, according to the press release, the city is also working with AMKO LLC, a Connecticut aerospace manufacturer interested in relocating to Bristol and developing Lot No. 5 of the Southeast Bristol Business Park.