Commercial Real Estate

Commercial Real Estate
Branford is rather unique among the shoreline towns east of New Haven in that it has encouraged substantial commercial development in well-defined districts. This commercial base includes three segments of general commercial use:

Industrial / Research & Development
Geography: Concentrated in the eastern sector of town, this segment ranges from heavy industrial (Blakeslee Prestress reinforced structural concrete) to light manufacturing (CAS Medical Systems) to biotechnology (Neurogen Corp., CuraGen, and The Institute for Pharmaceutical Discovery). During the last two decades, over 500,000 SF of light industrial / flex space was added to the tax rolls. This area is essentially in the I-95 Exits 55 & 56 corridor. In addition to many sites with established improvements, a significant tract of undeveloped industrially zoned land is currently being developed at Exit 56 (commonly known as Woodlands Park).

Trends: While still largely oriented toward light industrial, there has been a significant shift in space usage towards flex / R&D space. This trend has been spearheaded in large measure by the emergence of the new field of biotechnology. Joint ventures with local pharmaceutical companies like Bristol Meyers Squibb, Pfizer, Bayer and entrepreneurial spin-offs from Yale University, have found Branford's pro-active business atmosphere, location and infrastructure ideally suited to the spirit of such new ventures.

Office / Professional
Geography: Broadly developed along East & North Main Streets (Route 1), a wide variety of professional (medical, accounting, law, engineering, etc.) and general offices populate this area of town.

Trends: Class A & B space, just under a million sq. ft. along the East Shore, has been at a premium since the corporate downsizing era of the late 80's and early 90's. Professional firms in particular, no longer requiring a Central Business District address, have opted to open up new businesses within minutes of their shoreline residences.