OXFORD--Connecticut's fastest-growing town, Oxford, is getting ready for an economic boom. Quarry Walk, a new 32-acre development in town, is preparing for a big opening on Tuesday.
Market 32 by Price Chopper is set to open in Quarry Walk, serving as the town's first grocery store.
Quarry Walk will also include a medical complex, 150 residential units, a Starbucks, ACE Hardware, a wine store and Dollar Tree.
Developer Tom Haynes said Oxford is perfectly situated for a venture such as Quarry Walk.
"It's got an area that has a lot of undeveloped industrial land," said Haynes. "It's got the second-largest runway in the state of Connecticut at Oxford Airport. It's got tremendously low tax rates."
Jackie Carde, a college student who lives in Oxford, just got a job working at Market 32. Previously, she said she had to drive much farther to get to her jobs, and said the new development is a big event for Oxford.
"It's actually pretty significant," said Carde. "So you're going to get a lot more businesses. [Route] 67 is going to be pretty busy now. And there's a new light. We have two lights, three lights now. We haven't had any lights. It's not like the city."
Haynes estimates Quarry Walk will employ roughly 1,000 people. He expects everything in the development to be open within the next year or two.
