By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(May 21, 2026) A proposal to redevelop the former Tyson chicken processing facility into a mixed-use commercial complex advanced last week after the Berlin Planning Commission approved preliminary site plans, contingent upon the mayor’s and Town Council’s approval of related plats.

Development representatives presented initial plans for the long-vacant industrial site known as parcel 57. They described a project that would remove deteriorating structures, repurpose portions of existing property buildings, and implement retail, medical, and office uses.

The concept includes four potential buildings: a front commercial building intended for retail, restaurant or office uses; a medical office building with a drive-through pharmacy; a commercial or office building farther back on the site; and a garden center. Plans also include retaining the site’s existing water tower and converting it into a key decorative site feature.

Developers emphasized that while all buildings appear in the plans, initial focus is on the first two structures.

“We have a high-intense need for building number two to get occupancy,” said developer Palmer Gillis, who has a contract with the Town of Berlin to buy this slice of the town’s Heron Park property.. He noted that an interested tenant requires access to the space in 2027.

Gillis said that he has been “aggressive” in the process of moving the project along because financing and tenant commitments depend on the initiative’s advancement.

Last month, the developer went before the planning commission despite not being listed on the meeting agenda and claimed that he had been repeatedly unsuccessful in securing a public hearing. That holdup led Gillis to threaten to terminate his contract with the Town of Berlin to purchase the site.

“Part of our contract…requires us to provide evidence of financing to proceed to settlement,” Gillis said. “So, there’s a chain of events needed for that to happen … I have to provide the town with evidence of financing to proceed to settlement. It’s a chicken and the egg situation because I can’t do that until I have approvals, which is another reason I have been aggressive in this process.”

Despite that urgency, Gillis acknowledged that later project phases could be delayed for some time.

When asked by commissioners whether undeveloped portions of the property might remain vacant after the first round of construction, Gillis responded, “It might be years.”

He added that significant demolition would occur regardless of the timing of development.

“There are a lot of concrete structures on it,” Gillis said. “Those will all be gone … There’s a lot of industrial-type structures in the back of that property that have got to go.”

Commission members added that replacing the dilapidated industrial areas with green space while awaiting any future construction would still be an improvement over the site’s existing makeup.

Last week’s meeting also generated discussion of project scheduling in relation to infrastructure placement and approval procedures.

Planning staff and commission members expressed concern that the application lacked clear phasing details showing how utilities, stormwater management, and parking would operate during partial buildout.

Project representatives maintained that the recent submission was intended to be comprehensive, providing the town with a full picture of the development’s long-term plan. Phasing will be demonstrated at a later date to ensure that utility, stormwater, and parking are integrated functionally.

Additionally, commissioners raised concerns about utility easements shown on plans. Several questioned why utilities appeared on the west side of a proposed access road rather than on the east side, where drawings from the fall of 2024 reportedly placed them to avoid conflicts with landscaping.

Gillis said that the east-side utility easement placement was complicated due to communication gaps, particularly with the town’s engineering consultant, Davis, Bowen & Friedel.

Developers maintain that their goal is to make the front building “lively and energetic.” Gillis said previous versions of the project generated interest from eight to 10 food and beverage operators. However, no commitments currently exist.

At the conclusion of the discussion, the planning commission approved a motion granting preliminary site plan approval, subject to Town Council approval of the plat and additional reviews, including stormwater approvals, forest conservation, fire marshal review, and infrastructure revisions.

Commissioners specified that the project must return for final site plan approval before construction can proceed.