ORANGE, CT — Plans to open a new Stew Leonard’s grocery store in Orange have hit another snag due to the proposed rent at a shopping center in town, according to the store.
Stew Leonard’s Spokesperson Meghan Bell confirmed Wednesday plans to bring a new store to Colonial Commons on Indian River Road were in the works but have now stalled.
Bell also confirmed the main factor currently slowing down plans to bring a store to the shopping center is the cost of rent for that particular space.
Find out what's happening in Orangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In May, Bell confirmed the former Christmas Tree Shop space at the shopping center was in the running as a possible spot for a new store location, however she also emphasized at that time nothing was finalized.
Colonial Commons is owned by the Brixmor Property Group, a New York-based real estate investment trust company.
Find out what's happening in Orangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A Brixmor spokesperson declined to comment Wednesday as the company does not publicly disclose details related to rent or other aspects of private discussions as a policy.
Though it is currently unclear if Stew Leonard’s will end up coming to terms on a deal to bring the “World’s Largest Dairy Store” to the shopping center, Bell confirmed Orange and other areas of Connecticut relatively near the company’s Norwalk headquarters are always under consideration for a possible new store.
She also noted there are currently no plans in motion for a new store in Connecticut at this time.
“The Leonard family is always on the lookout for a great retail space in a great community,” Bell said to Patch. “Orange, as well as other locations in Connecticut, are under consideration.”
Most Orange residents are already familiar with the concept of Stew Leonard’s opening a new store in their town.
The family-owned grocery chain’s last public attempt to open a Connecticut store revolved around a planned location at 161 Marsh Hill Road in Orange.
The Stew Leonard’s team tried to get the Orange store approved for nearly 15 years, but the effort was ultimately thwarted by a group of concerned residents who filed various legal motions that kept the store’s future tied up in the courts.
At one point, it seemed Stew Leonard’s might claim victory after winning town approval and a court decision, however a last-minute appeal granted to residents opposing the project derailed the plans once again.
Click Here: LONGCHAMP LE PLIAGE CLUB BACKPACK ANTIQUE PINK 70TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION WOMEN
After legal fees began to mount, the Leonard family turned their attention to expanding outside of Connecticut, building stores in New York and later New Jersey. Since then, no plans for a fourth Connecticut store have been announced.
The last time Stew Leonard’s opened a new Connecticut store was in Newington in the spring of 2007, nearly 17 years ago.
In addition to the Newington store, Stew’s operates Connecticut locations in Danbury, which opened in 1991, and its flagship Norwalk store, which dates back to 1969.
Stew Leonard’s also operates stores in East Meadow, Farmingdale and Yonkers, N.Y., as well as Paramus and Clifton, N.J.
Last year, Bell told Patch Stew Leonard’s receives quite a bit of interest from property developers and shopping centers in Connecticut about the possibility of opening another one of their “farm fresh food” stores.
At that time, Bell said the family was not actively looking for a new site to build a fourth Connecticut store but remained open to the idea.
“If the right opportunity presented itself, bearing in mind things like a great location, population around the site and even parking,” Bell said, “I’m sure they’d consider it.”
See also:
The idea of a new Stew Leonard’s location coming to Connecticut has received positive reactions from a number of local, and even state, officials.
Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling previously told Patch that Stew Leonard’s has been a staple in Norwalk since opening its flagship store over 50 years ago and has become an integral part of the community there.
“More than just a grocery store…the company’s family-friendly, customer-first business model fits in so well with the city of Norwalk because we are a community that looks out for one another and values kindness and compassion,” Rilling said in a statement sent to Patch in October. “Stew Leonard’s grocery store has also created employment for thousands of Norwalk residents since it opened, allowing families to live and work in the community they love, a vision we strive for in the city of Norwalk. Any community would be fortunate to have a Stew Leonard’s in their town.”
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.