Two New Food Factories Eying Danbury

Danbury allows whole sale bakeries in its zoning regulations and it allows the manufacturing of candy.

With a zone change being considered by the Zoning Commission and the Planning Commission, the city may allow food manufacturing.

The issue arose because two separate companies are considering locating into town, and both are food manufacturers. One makes flavored popcorn. The second is unknown.

"The manufacture of candy is allowed," Planning Director Dennis Elpern told the Zoning Commission Tuesday, "so we decided to broaden that to all kinds of food."

No leases have been signed by either company, said Danbury Land Use Attorney Paul Jaber.

Jaber represents Mel Powers of Commerce Park, where both companies have sought to locate. Jaber said no details about either firm are available, because the leasing conversation, like the zone change process, just started.

"I couldn't imagine why it wasn't allowed to begin with," Jaber said, pointing out that commerce park is now home to the wholesale bakery that provides most of the Dunkin Donut doughnuts in Danbury. "Do you really think food manufacturing doesn't take place in Danbury?"

Jaber, a long-time Danbury land use attorney, was onto something. A New York food manufacturer called Villarina's, announced in January it was moving to Danbury.

The process of allowing food manufacturing in Commerce Park took a step forward Tuesday night, when the Zoning Commission asked the Planning Commission for an opinion on the issue. The Planning Commission will issue its opinion on May 8, and the approval could be expected later in May.

"Everybody seems pretty excited about this," Jaber said. "It seems like I just put in the application last week, and they're already in to the public hearing."