Construction of New Simsbury Apartments, Mixed Use Development Continues

Progress at the Dorset Crossing mixed use development and apartment complex is being made after a second round of land swapping to coordinate a substation upgrade.

In May 2012, the town announced that Northeast Utilities is planning an $11 million upgrade for the north Simsbury substation. The substation is located near the Dorset Crossing development and NU needs to build an access road to the substation.

The developer, Keystone Companies, worked with the town and Northeast Utilities last year to arrange a .07 acre land swap with the town in order to allow a land easement for the access road.

"At this point, what we had been authorized to do by the board of selectmen we found was not possible," First Selectman Mary Glassman said at a March 11 meeting.

Watch the March 11 Board of Selectmen meeting here

The land that was to be exchanged between the town and the developer was originally purchased from the State Department of Transportation and the town is only allowed to use the land for municipal purposes.

Instead, the town will no longer convey any land to Dorset Crossing but instead the town will issue a temporary access easement to the developer to allow for the construction of an access road.