Exit 66 Landowners Huddle to Discuss Marketing Potential

Landowners in the Exit 66 corridor met on Tuesday to hash out what needs to be done to successfully market the area.

The meeting took place at the TicketNetwork building on Bolton Road. It was closed to the media, but afterward, TicketNetwork CEO Donald Vaccaro spoke openly about what was discussed.

Mayoral candidates were also invited, as was Economic Development Coordinator Shaun Gately.

''It was a constructive meeting,'' he said. ''We talked about a lot.''

The corridor, near Exit 66 on Interstate-84 is bordered by Tunnel and Bolton roads forming two sides of a rectangle and Frontage and Whitney T. Ferguson III roads forming the other too sides.

The ares is described by Mayor Jason McCoy as a, ''Jigsaw puzzle of uses.'' It features three business zones and six multiple use classifications for business.

A total of 27 special permits have been approved for the area, including a car lot, a barber shop, a daycare center and a helipad.

''We have to protect the neighbors, but also make the system friendly,'' McCoy said. ''If we can attract a business and that business would create jobs, then we should do it.''

But development can get a little complicated to the tune of sewer installation.

Sewer lines are sparse in the area, so installing them to make the land more business user-friendly would be a tall and expensive order. Vaccaro said the water capacity is available, but a project needs to be designed.

"We need to make the land more compatible with business and business uses,'' Vaccaro said.

Vaccaro's company is in the process of moving to South Windsor, but he said on Tuesday that he had no immediate plans to sell his Bolton Road facilities. He hinted if TicketNetwork needs to expand, he would look to the Vernon building first.

He said another target improvement would be the Intersection of Hartford Turnpike and West Street.

He said landowners did not think Tunnel Road would be an issue, but setting up a signal pattern that would allow two cars through at the same time rather than the current one car at a time honor system could improve traffic flow. 

''We do not want to change the character of the area, so that would work,'' he said