Farmington - addressing the needs of the future - by Rose Ponte

Rose Ponte, Town of Farmington

The Town of Farmington is considered one of the economic leaders in the state, has a strong commercial base in the Hartford Metro area, and is an ideal site for central Connecticut business and industry. The town has retained its distinct character through progressive land use planning, maintenance of its historic districts and by delivering excellent customer service to its business community.

Farmington, centrally located 10 miles west of Hartford, at the hub of major I-84 interchanges, and easily accessible to Rte. 9, is located 20 miles south of Bradley International Airport, and is only a  2-hour car ride from New York City and Boston; making it an ideal location for most businesses’ needs.

Farmington’s diverse business community has over 2,000 businesses ranging from Fortune 500 companies such as United Technologies, to TRUMPF INC, the largest manufacturer of fabricating equipment and industrial lasers in North America, to a thriving bioscience and medical service corridor.

With one of the largest inventories of class A office space in the greater Hartford region, a highly educated workforce, Blue Ribbon schools, low taxes, and superb recreational opportunities, it is clear why so many  choose to call Farmington home.

Currently one of our most promising emerging industry clusters is in the field of bioscience research and development. For the past several years, the Town of Farmington has experienced a substantial increase in public and private investment along Farmington Ave., particularly in the vicinity of the UConn Health, the academic medical center for the University of Connecticut.  In 2011, the State of Connecticut implemented the Bioscience Connecticut Initiative, which paved the way for an ongoing $864 million state economic development program to expand the bioscience cluster surrounding UConn Health. This investment has resulted in a new patient care tower for UConn’s John Dempsey Hospital, expansions and renovations for Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine, the completion of 32 new research incubator labs for Biotech startup companies and the construction of the state-of-the-art, 183,500 s/f Jackson Laboratory’s Research Institute, all bringing innovative research to the area and creating hundreds of new jobs. 

In response to the growing bioscience industry, The State of Connecticut continued to spur investment by creating a Bioscience Enterprise Zone in Farmington and adjacent towns. This zone provides property tax exemptions, business tax credits and sales tax exemptions to eligible biotech, pharmaceutical and R&D businesses engaged in bioscience. 

Along with the public investment provided by Bioscience Connecticut, there has been an influx of private investment that has resulting in over 3 million s/f of medical and commercial development along Farmington Ave. 

Recognizing that Farmington has become a hub for cutting edge bioscience research and development, and that additional potential for economic growth is possible with the expansion of the Bioscience startup companies, the town studied a large residential area adjacent to UConn Health and used a proactive approach to address increased market demands for medical office development while also protecting the interests of its residents. This past spring, after numerous public meetings, the town plan and zoning commission adopted a floating zone over this residential area. The new zone is designed to permit medical office/research development, but also retain the commission’s legislative authority to ensure proper development.

The creation of the floating zone enables Farmington to address development demands created by the Bioscience Connecticut Initiative. It also encourages variety and flexibility in uses, leverages the public and private investment that has already occurred in this area, and reduces uncertainty over future land uses.

The investments along Farmington Ave. have created an innovative bioscience cluster that brings thousands of employees and visitors to Farmington daily and has generated significant new interest and development in UConn Health. 

As the Bioscience industry in Connecticut continues to develop, Farmington stands ready to address the demands and opportunities that will result from these valuable investments.

Have an idea, interested in locating or relocating to Farmington?  Our dedicated and professional staff is ready to work with every business. To find out more please visit our website www.farmington-ct.org.

Rose Ponte is the economic development director for the Town of Farmington, Conn.