NORWALK, Conn. — Concerns about the look of the developing SoNo mall plan appear to be in the forefront of Common Council members’ minds.
Planning Committee members Thursday queried Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Tim Sheehan about the agency’s negotiations with General Growth Properties (GGP), owner of the 95/7 site on at the intersection of Interstate 95 and West Avenue, emphasizing that they want a crack at the look of the proposal before it moves forward. Sheehan’s update included the explanation that the people swarming the site during the day are doing environmental testing.
“I would strongly get the message back that the day they walk in with some proposals for language for design changes that they also have a rendering to go along with that,” Planning Committee Chairman Doug Hempstead (R-At Large) said to Sheehan.
The agency has provided GGP with design parameters, Sheehan said. “They are reviewing those and are supposed to have those back to us with comments. Obviously those new design guidelines will become part of the amendment to … the urban renewal plan (for the site).”
GGP is expected to advance a design in June and the Council will get a crack at it as the Council must approve the changes to the Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) for the site, Sheehan said.
“The guidelines the agency formulated are taking into account the conversations that were had amongst members here as to the sensitivities to the context of the neighborhood,” Sheehan said. “…You’re not going to have something that doesn’t lend itself well to the character of the area. You are not designing just for a 12-acre site, that ignores everything that’s around it.”
Councilman Bruce Kimmel (D-At Large) suggested that he didn’t want to be put in the position of being told he would delay the project by six months if he tried to push the project in a certain way once the documents become public.
Sheehan said he would share the design guidelines in June at the next committee meeting.
Council members have been told not to try to negotiate individually with GGP, Councilman Rich Bonenfant (R-At Large) said. Expressing an opinion in public is fine, but “We also got a letter discouraging individual negotiations,” he said.
Everything is up for discussion, Hempstead said, citing the Enterprise Zone and the public realm space (5 percent of the total development) as topics that haven’t been resolved.
“There’s nothing on the library on the books, there’s a whole discussion about library,” Hempstead said. “…. I don’t know anything not being discussed.”
There are trucks on the site now and “quite a few people” walking the property during the day, Sheehan said. That’s environmental testing. “There’s some remediation that probably needs to be redone on the site.”
Sunday will mark an annual tradition, Kimmel said – 500 people running by the site for a Mother’s Day race.
Many of the runners are from out of town, leading to “fascinating” commentary every year about the long-vacant pile of dirt, he said. “I’ve had some funny discussions.”
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