Western Express Buys Connecticut Property for $1.7 Million
Western Express has paid more than $1.7 million for 12 acres in Plainfield, Conn., to expand its operations.
The truckload carrier bought two parcels and a 30,740-square-foot building at 1293 Norwich Road, according to a press release from the company. The $1.75 million purchase was made from the P. Camp firm out of Jewett City, which has owned the property since 2015.
First Selectman Cathy Tendrich said she learned of the sale on Jan. 8.
Western Express ranks No. 55 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest North American for-hire carriers.
“Up until December, that property was being used by the Lyon & Billard Lumber Co., which has several locations in the state,” she said. “At this point, no one has contacted my office from the company or from (the Planning and Zoning Commission). I plan to reach out Western Express this week to find out if they plan on bringing jobs to town or will be creating new ones, as well as to see if they need help in facilitating that.”
The property sale was recorded in town hall on Dec. 29, with the purchaser on the deed identified as Norwich LLC, Town Clerk Louisa Trakas said.
“As part of the transfer, the town will receive $4,375,” she said.
The Plainfield spot will become the ninth location for the Nashville-based company, which specializes in flat-bed transportation, freight management and logistics. The company runs roughly 2,500 power units and more than 6,500 trailers throughout the country. The company operates from locations that include California, Iowa and Maine.
According to the company’s website, the firm runs “long haul and short haul freight primarily east of the Mississippi and west of the Rocky Mountains,” but also runs east-west and west-east routes.
Representatives of Western Express did not immediately return calls for comment.
The sale announcement comes two months after a Massachusetts-based real estate firm purchased the long-vacant former dog-racing track in town.
Winstanley Enterprises, a Concord, Massachusetts, investment and development company paid $3.37 million to BVS Investors for the 137-acre Lathrop Road property. According to town records, the firm paid BVS Plainfield Investors 3.37 million for the property. That purchase netted the town $8,400.
Winstanley plans to convert the site into a logistics park, accommodating over 800,000 square feet in one distribution facility, or a two-building campus with over 600,000 square feet. Company officials in November said they were in active discussions with a number of large users” for the site.
