North Stonington — Electric Boat will proceed with a plan to build a 480,000-square-foot warehouse on a 55-acre site it purchased here from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.
A spokeswoman for the shipbuilder declined Wednesday to elaborate on the plan.
EB won local land-use approvals late last year to erect the 400-by-1,200-foot warehouse at 45 Frontage Road (Route 617). The Inland Wetlands Commission approved its application in October, and the Planning and Zoning Commission followed suit in December.
EB completed its acquisition of the property earlier this month, paying $5.5 million for the property, according to land records. The tribe paid $2.85 million for it in 1995.
The property is located in an Economic Development District Zone.
“North Stonington is pleased to welcome General Dynamics to our community,” Susan Cullen, the town’s planning, zoning and development official, said Wednesday in a statement. “The Economic Development District Zone was established to encourage appropriate uses in areas where new businesses would flourish. This Frontage Road location is the ideal opportunity to allow for additional jobs in the town and the region.”
The site, which has direct access to Interstate 95, is located about halfway between EB’s facilities in Groton and Quonset Point, R.I.
A traffic study prepared in connection with EB’s plan shows the warehouse building will have 75 parking spaces and two multi-truck loading areas. Two driveways, both on Frontage Road, will provide access to the site.
The development is expected to open in 2026, the study says.
EB, lead builder of Virginia-class fast attack and Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, has been expanding its footprint and workforce in recent years to meet the demands of Navy contracts.
b.hallenbeck@theday.com