Home Care In South Windsor, CT

North-central Connecticut will look quite differently in many spots in the coming year. East Hartford, Manchester, and South Windsor residents in particular can expect to see big changes around their towns in 2024.

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Officials in all three towns are looking to redevelop areas in need of upgrades — from new retail businesses to new and redeveloped housing.

East Hartford has big dreams

In East Hartford, newly elected Mayor Connor Martin has several redevelopment projects on his plate, both to start on as well as finish up.

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Martin plans to bring in new retail businesses to the Silver Lane Plaza after its demolition, as well as finishing construction for new housing to replace the Showcase Cinemas movie theater, and beginning updates to the apartments at the Church Corners Inn building.

"We have to start raising the household median income, bring in revenue through economic development, and bring in retail, entertainment, shopping," Martin said during his swearing in ceremony last month. "We want to give residents a reason to spend their money in East Hartford."

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East Hartford acquired the Silver Lane Plaza by eminent domain on March 1, with $4.5 million from the State Bond Commission.

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One of the plaza tenants, JE Mart, an Asian grocery store, recently relocated to the Manchester Parkade.

East Hartford Director of Development Eileen Buckheit said that several businesses still remain in the plaza, but town officials are actively working with attorneys or the businesses themselves to exit the property.

In November, the Grossman Development Group, Charter Realty Principal, and Leyland Alliance submitted a joint proposal for the plaza, which town officials will review. The proposal consists of three different formats for mixed-use property — some retail property with housing property behind it, according to Michael Goman of Goman + York, a real estate consultant for the town.

"It's a concept that's consistent with the goals of the master plan in the works on the plaza to improve commercial uses and add housing to the area," Goman said. "It will create new jobs, and increase the demand of housing as a result."

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In July, Gov. Ned Lamont announced that $7 million in State Bond Commission funding would be allocated to build an apartment complex called Concourse Park, at the site of the former Showcase Cinemas, which closed in 2006.

The town purchased the property in January 2019 for $3.3 million, and the theater demolition was completed in 2020.

The complex will be developed by New Britain-based Jasko Development, in a partnership with West Hartford-based Zelman Real Estate.

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Former mayor Mike Walsh said in September that the complex, which would include up to 400 apartments, a pool, a dog park, and other amenities, will cost an estimated $110 million.

The Church Corners Inn at 860 Main St., known for years as a high-crime location, remains vacant after the town purchased the building in January for $950,000.

In January, Walsh said the plan was to demolish the 53-unit, 24,820-square-foot building and construct 25 apartments of 700 square feet each, with retail space on the ground floor. The plans changed from a demolition to a renovation, when Unionville-based developer Parker Benjamin proposed a plan in September to redevelop the building instead.

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In October, Walsh said if Parker Benjamin's proposal is approved, the building would be converted to hold about 24 units, with the first floor being used for retail.

Distribution warehouses for Lowe's and Wayfair are expected to be completed at Rentschler Field sometime next summer, according to Massachusetts-based National Development, which broke ground on the 300-acre site in March. National Development expects the warehouses to create 400 construction jobs, and up to 1,000 permanent positions.

Residents can also expect to see the demolition of buildings at Founders Plaza. This year the town filed a demolition permit for 20 Hartland St./99 Founders Plaza, after it received $6.5 million from the State Bond Commission.

Transformations in Manchester

Main Street in Manchester will be going through a transformation of its own, as plans to develop a multi-story building with residential and retail space next year at the site of the Tong building at 942 Main St. are currently underway. The town bought the building earlier this year for $1.75 million with plans to demolish it by next February.

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Several tenants remain in the building and the town is currently in the midst of relocation negotiations with them.

Another plan for Main Street is to have a 75,000-square-foot library constructed at the site of the Webster Bank branch at 1041 Main St., as well as repair the Mary Cheney Library at 586 Main St.

The new library will cost roughly $39 million, and the town has already secured $5.5 million in grants, and hopes to secure $9.5 million in state funds.

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The Redevelopment Agency unanimously decided in October to recommend that the Board of Directors begin planning the construction of a 600-foot trail and pedestrian bridge across Bigelow Brook, using $200,000 awarded to the town by the State Bond Commission.

Town officials said that the trail project, which would link Center Springs Park to the Purdy Trail, is directly connected to plans to revitalize the long-vacant Broad Street Parkade.

Whole Foods and apartments in South Windsor

South Windsor has also had a number of development announcements, some that were applauded by residents, and others that became quite controversial.

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The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk will soon have a highly anticipated new tenant, Whole Foods, which is expected to open on Jan. 17. The store was touted as part of a plan to transform the shopping center that was dubbed "Evergreen Walk 2.0."

In 2021, the site plan for the new Whole Foods showed that the building would be split into two units, with 40,000 square feet for the store and 10,000 square feet of retail space for lease.

An apartment complex on a 6-acre site at 240 Deming St. and 440 Buckland Road has gotten the go-ahead by the Planning and Zoning Commission, but not without hurdles.

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Hundreds of residents turned out for public hearings on the proposed apartments, many concerned about traffic, noise, and the potential effects of property values.

The plan, which originally called for 72 apartments, was narrowed down to 55, with five, two-story buildings. In November, the PZC, along party lines, narrowly approved a zone change for the site, and on Dec. 12, again along party lines, the PZC approved the site plan with certain restrictions, including the preservation of trees.

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — Golf enthusiasts itching for the return of warm weather need not wait any longer to tee it up, as a new indoor golfing destination , complete will full restaurant and bar, has opened in the Shops at Evergreen Walk.

Golf Lounge 18 boasts 11 bays with TrackMan iO technology golf simulators. The South Windsor venue is the seventh Golf Lounge 18 location, and with over 12,000 square feet of space, the second-largest indoor golf facility in the Greater Hartford area.

Golf Lounge 18 gives golfers the unique experience of playing at more than 300 of the best and most well known courses from all over the world, including the PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, St. Andrews in Scotland, and the famous Pebble Beach, all with their beautiful scenery brought to life within the simulators.

The facility, which opened to the public earlier this week, is located adjacent to The Green area at Evergreen Walk, and will officially celebrate its ribbon cutting Saturday, Feb. 3 at 11 a.m. On Saturday evening from 5-9 p.m., it will host a grand opening party featuring live music by Ali Kat acoustic, golf contests for prizes and a free 2-month membership giveaway.

"The addition of Golf Lounge 18 is just the latest in our transformational plans to bring the best in entertainment and dining options to the Shops at Evergreen Walk," said Paul Brandes, Principal, Brand Street Properties. "And with the additional recent openings of Whole Foods, Blue Mercury and Deka Lash, this is an exciting time for the shopping center overall."

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Marketing director Paul Wilson said, "We are so excited to be able to bring experiential entertainment to Evergreen Walk with the opening of Golf Lounge 18, where people of all ages can come to play golf on some of the world’s best courses with their friends and family, regardless of what season it is."

Guests can join a league, get a private lesson or play 18 holes with friends and family. Memberships and season passes are available. Tee times can be booked online in advance and walk-ins are welcome. Guests are encouraged to bring their clubs, but clubs are available for golfers of all ages for both right and left-handed players.

Golf Lounge 18, located at 401 Evergreen Way, is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Celebrate with us on February 3^rd from 1 to 4 PM for the opening reception of Bridges and Belonging: The Windsor History Inclusion Project. Enjoy musical entertainment and light refreshments while you explore the society’s updated permanent galleries, now improved to better represent Windsor’s diverse history with fresh images, stories, and artifacts.

The new content updates the Society’s flagship permanent exhibition Bridging Centuries, Bridging Cultures. When that exhibit opened more than ten years ago, it embodied a milestone in the Society’s ability to tell our town’s 400-year story from its indigenous beginnings to the present, accommodate our growing audience of school children, and appeal to people of all ages.

The refreshed exhibit expands all the excellent content from the original version with additional, often personal stories. The focus is on better incorporating Windsor’s Black history into a more complete story of Windsor’s past. The additions are intended to foster a sense of belonging here in Windsor for visitors from different cultural backgrounds, and to reflect the town’s shifting demographics over time.

Stories of Windsor’s Black Revolutionary War patriots, including John Brister and Samson Cuff, now reside alongside tales of Windsor’s white patriots like Moses Wing and Daniel Bissell. Profiles of several Black community leaders such as U.S. Congressman Joseph Rainey and Dr. Beulah Winston have been added to the galleries alongside old favorite histories of the Mack family brickmakers, Amy Archer-Gilligan, and many more.

Additionally, the updates include topics not previously addressed, including Windsor’s role in the witchcraft trials of Alse Young and Lydia Gilbert in the 1600s, the American Civil War, women’s suffrage leader Agnes McCormick, and a collection of new oral histories by current Windsor residents from all walks of life.

Funded with generous grants from the Town of Windsor and CT Humanities. FREE. Snow Date: February 6, 4 to 7 PM.

Shoppers at South Windsor's The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk have a new option for a sweet snack, as The Waffle Cabin is now open in the retail center. The growing national chain, with locations in 11 states, sells authentic Belgian Liège waffles, made with a yeast dough and pearl sugar.

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Founders Peter Creyf and Ingrid Heyrman started the concept in 1998, according to Waffle Cabin's website, first as a pushcart called Leo's - Gaufres de Liège at Quincy Market in Boston. After varied results at that location and one at Boston Common Park, they began selling waffles at ski resorts, starting out at Killington in Vermont in late 1999.

"After just one week, we felt this thing could run a marathon," said Creyf, who grew up in Antwerp, Belgium. "We kept on focusing on those venue (ski resorts) and grew it mainly within Vermont, but then in the Northeast."

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Waffle Cabin now has locations at ski resorts across the country in Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and West Virginia, with another planned at a resort in Snoqualmie, Washington. Franchisees also own and operate Waffle Cabin food trucks in several of these states, including one in Ridgefield.

Franchisees have some menu flexibility based on their locations, Creyf said, and some offer toppings and ice cream. But the South Windsor store is more of a grab-and-go setup with limited seating, he said, and the waffles are intended to be eaten as shoppers walk around the development. There, waffles are served plain, or with simple toppings of melted Belgian chocolate or cinnamon sugar.

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But Creyf says the Liège waffles are so good on their own, they don't need a lot of extras like whipped cream or fruit. The "Belgian waffle" style that most Americans know "is a carrier for toppings," he said, and can be bland by itself. A Liège waffle is "between a cookie and a pastry," he said, made with a yeast-raised dough featuring clarified butter, vanilla and pearl sugar, which melts and caramelizes as the dough is cooked.

"I've told my team that (they'll) have to educate people on this waffle...people come in and they think they need to load it up," he said. "(I say) try to serve it without any toppings — rather than upsell it, try to even undersell it, by having them try the original waffle, as we call it. Because this waffle, originally in Belgium, you would get it without anything on it."

Waffle Cabin is in the center of the shopping area, next to Ben & Jerry's, which Creyf said he finds fitting, as they're both Vermont-based companies. "In my opinion, it's the best ice cream you can get," he said.

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The South Windsor location also sells coffee, hot chocolate, tea and hot cider, with drinks like lattes (including matcha and chai versions), cappuccinos, mochas and macchiatos.

The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Dec 6, 2023

By Leeanne Griffin

Leeanne Griffin is a senior food reporter for CT Insider, handling coverage of restaurant openings and closings, trends, events and general news about Connecticut food and beverage businesses. She covers statewide food happenings, with a focus on Hartford County, and curates CT Insider’s weekly Taste of Connecticut food newsletter.

Leeanne joined Hearst Connecticut in 2021, but has been working in Connecticut news since 2006. Before joining Hearst, she was the food and dining reporter for the Hartford Courant for a decade.

She has earned several awards over the years from the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists and the New England Newspaper & Press Association, including a recent first-place SPJ honor for a story about lobster rolls. She has also served as a past Northeast regional panelist on the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee.

Leeanne lives in Hartford County with her husband and their three-pound Holland lop rabbit. A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, she holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University, where she first learned about the magic of New Haven apizza.

Reach Leeanne at [email protected].

South Windsor resident Mitchell Marks tells Patch why he should be elected to the Board of Education.

|Updated Tue, Oct 3, 2023 at 9:19 pm ET

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — The 2023 municipal election season is heating up in South Windsor, and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

South Windsor Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Name: Mitchell Marks

How old will you be as of Election Day? 19

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

Find out what's happening in South Windsorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

https://swdems.org/

What city or town do you live in? South Windsor

What office are you seeking? Board of Education

Please give us your party affiliation: Democrat

Education: Pursuing Bachelor of Arts - University of Connecticut, Class of 2026, major in political science

What is your occupation? full-time student

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

Mother - Julie, 54Father - Larry, 58Brother - Seth, 23

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Board of Education Member - September 2023 - PresentPark and Recreation Commissioner - February 2023 - PresentHuman Relations Commissioner - December 2022 - Present

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

I am running for the Board of Education because I firmly believe that I will bring a unique perspective to crafting educational policy as a young person and recent public school graduate who has firsthand experience with the high-quality education system here in South Windsor. As a student with various academic and extracurricular accomplishments, I have a vision for excellence inside and outside of the classroom that I would like to ensure remains available to all students in our public school system.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Our school district is one of the fastest-growing school districts in the State of Connecticut. In response to this record-growing enrollment, I will work to ensure that every single student receives the services and education that they deserve while maintaining the excellent quality of our schools and responsibly managing our budget. Additionally, I am committed to pursuing the goals outlined in the district’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan to successfully guide our district through this period of increased enrollment.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I graduated about a year ago as a member of the South Windsor High School Class of 2022 and have extremely recent experience being immersed in the everyday environment in our school system. I will use these experiences, as well as those of other students, to inform my policy views and improve upon our school system throughout my term.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

If elected to the Board of Education, I will support diversity and inclusion initiatives that reflect the vast diversity of South Windsor families and students. As a student myself, various aspects of being a student can often be overwhelming and stressful, so I will commit to ensuring that students receive the mental health resources that they require to strive for excellence in and out of the classroom. In addition, as a leader on the FIRST Robotics Team at the high school and as a determined advocate for STEM Education, I will seek to strengthen support for STEM programs at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Finally, I will constantly seek to improve the student and teacher experience to ensure that the South Windsor Public School system remains one of the best high-quality, public school districts in the State of Connecticut.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As a graduate of the South Windsor High School Class of 2022, I was an honors student for all four years of my high school career and the winner of awards and scholarships that prepared my pursuit of higher education. For one of my extracurriculars, I was a proponent for young people getting involved in politics and advocating for the issues they believe in while gaining financial experience and knowledge as the Treasurer of FLIP CT (Future Leaders in Politics). Also, I held a vested interest in the curricular and academic success of our school and students as a member of the South Windsor High School Social Studies Department and Curriculum Student Advisory Group and a Teacher's Assistant for a United States Advanced Placement Government Class. These accomplishments were the result of a school system that offered me the ability to flourish and of my close relationship with dedicated teachers who compelled me to thrive in every facet of my educational career.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

I’ve always been told to be true to myself and my beliefs. I've also learned that just because you disagree with someone, doesn't mean you have to be disagreeable.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As a member of a generation that is surrounded by technology, I am interested in continuing to modernize our schools' technological infrastructure and find modern solutions to various issues in our schools, such as the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence. I believe that these tools should be utilized for learning and I will work to ensure that they can be sufficiently incorporated into our students' education so that they will be used responsibly and effectively. In regards to myself, as a lifelong resident of South Windsor who attended the public schools here for my entire K-12 education, I can confidently say that South Windsor made me the person I am today and I look forward to serving our exceptional community and its citizens in the future.