Which Box Store Would You Want in Proposed Village Center?

Before chain chose the former building in Nod Brook Mall as the site for its second Connecticut grocery store, did you know that the owners considered a site in Avon Park North that's part of the proposed Avon Village Center plan?

"They were not willing to wait for this site to be approved for development," Avon Town Planner Kushner said of the specialty grocer, which is having its grand opening on Feb. 8 at 9 a.m.

While Kushner said the "intent is to have smaller-scale buildings that appropriately scaled for Avon Center," he said Thursday that there is a 25,000-square-foot building on the conceptual plan near the intersection of Climax Road and Route 44.

He told the Town Council Thursday that the idea was to have a "box" business to anchor the center and draw customers. He compared the concept to the Kohl's located in Canton's Shoppes at the Farmington Valley.

There will be a public hearing Feb. 14 during the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting for Ensign Bickford's village center master plan and requested change to a Village Center Zone. Kushner said he expects the commission to pass it unanimously, though it's not definite they'll vote at that meeting.

If the final plans do include a larger building, as the conceptual map reflects now, what type of business would you want to go there? Is there a particular box store you would like to see? What do you think would "anchor" the center and draw people to it?

Do you think a box store would fit with the village center development plans?