Editor’s note: In the past two weeks, TBE has covered the developments and improvements planned for the Bristol Park System. For the next few weeks, we will be discussing the plans for development for downtown Bristol and other areas of town. Today we will begin with Centre Square in downtown, specifically, the Carrier Construction project. The next article will cover the Wheeler Health project at the corner of Hope and North Main streets.

By Jack Krampitz

As the Centre Square developments enter a new phase in 2023, Bristol will be seeing two projects that will take up a major percentage of the area that has laid vacant for years: a Wheeler Health building project and the subject of this week’s article, the Carrier Construction Co.’s Centre Square Village project.

Construction for the Centre Square Village will begin in the spring of this year and is described by Economic Development Director Justin Malley as “a monumental thing for the city and for downtown.”

Malley, Ryan Carrier of Carrier Construction and Mayor Jeffrey Caggiano discussed this project among others with the TBE in a meeting late last year at City Hall East.

Originally, the Centre Square Carrier project plans called for three three-story buildings but have since been altered to two four-story buildings that will have 104 apartments in total.

The picture below is a depiction of building one which will be on the corner of Hope and North Main streets opposite the Wheeler Health building.

Each of the two buildings will have a total of 76,000 square feet, so they will have 152,000 square feet in total, with two elevators. The buildings are designed to have 7,800 square feet of commercial space, with 5,200 square feet set aside for restaurants.

“It’s kind of nice the way these buildings are set up, because in large apartment buildings you frequently see these long hallways and it feels like you’re in a hospital,” Carrier said. “On our Main Street apartments, we tried to keep all the entrances so that there is not a ton of people going through. I don’t want to see a bunch of busy hallways; it feels like a hotel.”

In Centre Square, each building will have two entrances and each entrance will lead to 25 units instead of having the long hallways of those large complexes.

Each unit will also be set up with a balcony where a couple of chairs and a small table can be set up for people to enjoy the fresh air.

“I think the layout of the buildings and the parking lot definitely work out better,” Carrier said. “Aesthetically, when you are coming down the street, it’s kind of a U-shape now. So, it makes the building look huge. But there’s actually parking inside almost like a little courtyard, so I think the layout works much better with four stories for two buildings.”

Malley added, “The idea of four levels is a big deal for us, because first it is a downtown environment and that size fits what we’re looking for. But of course, it also increases the number of units and that’s been the goal. We have to thank Carrier for being so flexible and open to suggestions.”

Caggiano said, “It’s going to be such a great unit downtown.” Referencing the change from three units to two, he added, “They created more parking for the residents. They utilize the space wonderfully and this is going to make downtown pop.”

The Carrier Construction Company is known for building quality homes in developments scattered throughout Central Connecticut. In the past couple of years Carrier built an apartment complex on Main Street called “Residences on Main” that were an immediate success.

According to Carrier, the entire development was finished in twelve months.

“We built the whole place and we had it fully rented and people were starting to move in a month after we were finished,” he said.

“It’s appropriate that Carrier is building on Hope Street,” said Caggiano, “because it’s local builders like this, who already have one successful project on Main Street and taking a chance, breaking ground next spring with a great project like this, that will be a great thing for the city.”

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