Among the Fairfield County localities, Monroe often gets overlooked in talk about the region”™s active business hubs. Even Wikipedia is dismissive, referring to the town as being “largely considered a bedroom community of New York City, New Haven and Bridgeport.”
This year, however, Monroe has seen a stream of new businesses coming to this so-called “bedroom community.” The Pennsylvania-based furniture and toy manufacturer Milton & Goose announced in May that it was relocating production to Monroe, while during the summer a trio of shoreline-headquartered companies ”” Southport”™s Galbo Provisions, along with Bridgeport”™s Zwally Haulig and R. Stone Co. ”” announced they were heading up Route 8 for new headquarters in Monroe. Those moves followed the pandemic-fueled 2020 that saw 50 new businesses open locally.
While Greenwich and Stamford may be competing for office tenants, Monroe First Selectman Kenneth M. Kellogg explained his locality is aiming at a different type of corporate resident.
“The one thing that we have that a lot of towns are lacking is we have available industrial-zoned space ”” and quite a bit of larger tracts,” he said. “We have an incredible amount of opportunity here and we’re doing a huge improvement with federal and state grants to Pepper Street, which is the road that goes right into the industrial zone. It”™s in the middle of construction now, but when it’s done it’s going to be a brand-new artery to the zone.”
Richard D. Schultz, Monroe”™s town planner, also noted the town differs from other Fairfield County municipalities on a key issue.
“What sets Monroe apart is that Monroe allows warehouse space as a principle,” he said. “There was existing inventory that allowed companies moving in, like that furniture company. And now we’re starting to get new construction, so that”™s added flexibility. Really, that was a good marketing plan for this community.”
Since taking office in 2017, the Republican Kellogg ”” who is seeking re-election for a third term this November ”” credited Monroe”™s Planning and Zoning Commission for ensuring commercial growth occurs in a manageable progression, praising its members for applying “thoughtful consideration of where we should have commercial zones, business zones and industrial zones while taking into account our main arteries.”
Through that approach, he added, commercial development doesn”™t encroach on residential areas and local land and resources are not overdeveloped.
“But on the flip side,” Kellogg said, “the other side of responsible growth is to continue to broaden our commercial tax base and grow our grand list. We want to see that growth on the commercial side, because that will ease the tax burden on our residents.”
Schultz pointed to the Main Street Design District and Special Development District that were adopted in August to promote flexibility in development.
“This is a new zoning tool that we’re using,” Schultz said, adding the “commission is open to new ideas reflecting the market needs. We have a great bunch of volunteers that are running the land use of commissions and boards, and they know the direction that we need to go.”
Part of the growth that Kellogg is eager to attract involves the relocation of corporate headquarters to Monroe. But according to Raymond Giovanni, chairman of the town”™s Economic Development Commission, Monroe is working with one disadvantage.
“We’re conscious of the diversity of what we’re trying to find, with different locations for different purposes that would be conducive to having septic,” he said. “One of our drawbacks is we’re not on sewers, so we have to be cognizant of that.”
Among the growth industries that Kellogg is eager to attract are the medical servicing sector ”” he noted a second urgent care facility recently opened in town ”” as well as restaurants, which have been among the businesses that many residents are eager to see in the near future.
“The restaurants do very well here and they’re well-loved,” he said, noting several have recently expanded their physical spaces after regulatory changes in April that allowed for outdoor dining. “But people like variety and I think a mix of more family style would do well.”
The town government has also been busy trying to create a more business-friendly environment for attracting new businesses. In July, the town beta-tested an online permitting function that exceeded expectations, resulting in it going fully live in September.
Last December, the town responded to changing demands in the commercial and housing markets by initiating mixed-use zoning for the first time in Monroe”™s history ”” something Kellogg noted had been planned for a decade.
He acknowledged that housing is a work in progress for Monroe, admitting there was “a need for a little bit more diversity in our housing stock ”” and we’re trying to do that in a responsible way so we don’t add to the burden to taxpayers in terms of services.”
