Five Guys, day care provider proposed for Oxford’s Quarry Walk – CT Post

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Five Guys, Verizon among new tenants proposed for Oxford's Quarry Walk development.

Five Guys, Verizon among new tenants proposed for Oxford's Quarry Walk development.

A medical office building, to include offices for Griffin Hospital, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2017 at Oxford's Quarry Walk development.

A medical office building, to include offices for Griffin Hospital, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2017 at Oxford's Quarry Walk development.

Five Guys, day care provider proposed for Oxfords Quarry Walk

OXFORD Last year, signs advertised the opening of a hardware store, supermarket, bank and other tenants at the Oxford Towne Center/Quarry Walk development. Now, signs note the upcoming construction of a new medical office building to be occupied in part by Griffin Hospital.

But most town residents have been patiently and some not so patiently waiting for the first signs of a restaurant in the development.

The wait is nearly over.

Zoning officials last week were presented plans for several new buildings directly along Route 67, to the right of the Newtown Savings Bank branch, including a stand-alone structure containing a Five Guys restaurant. That building will be connected through a patio to a retail building with three storefronts, with Verizon Wireless the first tenant announced for that structure.

A separate building to be constructed further in, to the left of anchor tenant Market 32, a brand of Price Chopper, will be home to Educational Playcare, a daycare provider with 13 other locations in the state.

So far were really happy with the progress, said First Selectman George Temple, of the $70 million development. I think theyre having a great deal of success with marketing.

Kathy Ekstrom, development manager for Haynes Development, said the developer has been searching for eateries and retail tenants for some time, with the goal of finding tenants that would not only attract new customers to the area but would also provide an element of stability.

Five Guys and Verizon people will drive to Quarry Walk for both of these tenants, she said. They are two highly identifiable national brands right here on (Route) 67.

Ekstrom said Haynes is hoping for a mix of not just retail, but food options as well. We would love to get an Asian bistro, she said. We think Oxford has the demand for it. We want that mix.

The first Quarry Walk tenants the market, bank, a Goodwill store, Ace Hardware and Dollar Tree opened their doors last year. This year, Ekstrom said Haynes is also planning to break ground on a 30,000-square-foot medical office building and 30 to 60 condo-style apartments.

Ekstrom said Haynes has seen a demand for the 20,000 square feet of the office building that wont be occupied by Griffin Hospital. She said the developer is being cautious with its tenant choice because it wants to provide a variety of offerings and make the development a one-stop shop for Oxford residents and those in surrounding towns.

Sometimes were intentionally a little slower on tenant acquisitions, she said. We want to make sure the businesses we put in there are going to help Quarry Walk be successful.

Ekstrom said this is why, despite the considerable interest from smaller providers, Haynes chose Educational Playcare as the centers day care provider, which will have capacity for roughly 200 children.

Their vision for how theyre going to utilize that area was too good to pass up, said Gerry Pastor, who along with his wife, Jane Porterfield, owns the daycare center. We just wanted to be a part of it.

Ekstrom said the daycare provider will likely benefit from the opening of each new store and the medical office building, for which construction will begin in the next several months.

Educational Playcare should open by August, with the medical office building, apartments, restaurant and Verizon store to open by fall.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will next meet Feb. 21.

ktorres@hearstmediact.com; 203-330-6227

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Five Guys, day care provider proposed for Oxford's Quarry Walk - CT Post