Sandy and Palmer Gillis of Coastal Ventures Properties agree to consider developing just Parcel 57 of the Heron Park property during the Monday council and mayor’s meeting. The council and residents have become divided on what development they want to see on the property.

By Cindy Hoffman, Staff Writer

Council OK’s property’s reappraisal while original development deal left in limbo

(July 27, 2023) The Berlin mayor and Town Council on Monday night discussed the future of Heron Park properties … again. They also went over what they did and didn’t want to happen on the 60-plus-acre former poultry processing plant parcel the town bought in 2016 for $2.5 million, without reaching a consensus … also again.

The council members did finally agree, for the most part, on one thing: to get an updated appraisal on Parcel 57, as a commercial property, with all but Councilmember Steve Green in support.

That leaves in limbo a proposal tendered in 2022 by Coastal Ventures LLC to buy 20 acres of the property — parcels 57, 191 and 410 — for $1.7 million and develop a mixture of commercial uses.

Palmer Gillis of Coastal Ventures has maintained throughout these discussions that his plans for the property followed the guidelines laid out in the town’s request for proposals. Since then, however, officials and residents seem to agree that they don’t want that original concept after all. They also have argued that Gillis should pay more for the property.

Appearing before the council Monday, representatives of the Parks Commission suggested that the town only sell Parcel 57, on which still stand the empty Tyson Poultry buildings.

In a letter to the mayor and council, the Parks Commission said, “The Commission feels it is in the best interest to retain as much of the property as possible for future use and growth. With the planned bike trail and other proposed projects, etc., we feel this park will be utilized as such more and more in the future.”

The Parks Commission also reiterated its desire to see a skate park in Heron Park.

The consensus of the Planning Commission, meanwhile, was to “cease contract negotiations on the present contract and form a committee of citizens, land use professionals, commissioners and stakeholders to determine the highest use, develop a site plan and determine the necessary actions to increase the entire property’s value before any sale should occur.”

 Members of the Planning Commission also raised concerns about retiring the $2.3 million debt that remains from the purchase of the properties and the possibility that environmental hazards could remain on the property, even though analyses conducted previously found no significant issues.

At one point, it appeared the council might be in agreement on selling just Parcel 57 to Gillis. When he was asked whether he would consider that possibility, he said he would but countered by asking what the town wanted on the property, since what was originally suggested seemed to be off the table.

“We need an entity that can generate income,” Gillis said of his company. “This has to make economic sense. We came to do something great for Berlin, we have experience in repurposing old buildings. We came to unify the town, not divide.”

But the division continued throughout the night. The conversation devolved into blame over how decisions on the property had been made in the past, concerns about not getting a proper value for the property, questions about moving too rapidly to get a deal done, what the town actually wanted on the property, and a debate on how and when the remaining Tyson buildings would be demolished.

The town has a state grant of $500,000 to help with that undertaking, but that’s providing the town settles on a plan within the next several weeks. If the town can’t make up its mind within that time period, the mayor believes there is not enough time to go through the lengthy process it takes to use the grant and therefore would have to return the money.

After the meeting, Gillis said they were in a wait-and-see position.

“They have to decide amongst themselves and the community as to what they want to do.

“We were hoping to bring something to the community that they did not have. Based on the [public] meeting in May of 2022, that was what we thought we had done. “