Updated 1:30 a.m., complete story.
NORWALK, Conn. – The developers of a hoped for-mall in SoNo said Wednesday that they have listened to the public in their one year’s worth of community outreach and have come up with a plan they think will meet the requirements of the contract the company has with Norwalk for the land usage.
General Growth Properties’ current concept for a mall at the long-vacant 95/7 site includes a small boutique hotel, community space and classrooms for use as a Norwalk Community College satellite site, state Rep. Larry Cafero said at a joint meeting of the Planning Committee and Redevelopment Agency. This news was part of a pitch to change the current specifications of the Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) between Norwalk and GGP – the old ones will not work in the current marketplace, GGP reps said, as they urged that speed is of the essence for a “modification” of the existing agreement in order to “not miss the market” as has been done in the past at the site.
Committee Chairman Doug Hempstead and Redevelopment Agency Chairman Felix Serrano said that “modification” is not the right word to use for the changes proposed for the LDA. It would be a whole new agreement, they said. While GGP reps confidently pronounced that beginning construction in just over a year is doable, Hempstead and Serrano expressed skepticism.
Hempstead said there would be “a lot, a lot of ground work.”
“This is a whale you just put in the room. You don’t eat the whale one bite at a time,” Hempstead said. “There’s going to be differences of opinion … You even admitted it was substantially different plan.”
Attorney William Hennessey, representing GGP, agreed that the approval would be a sometimes complicated process. Needs include a new concept master site plan and approval from the Zoning Commission, in addition to the changes in the LDA approved by the two governmental bodies present Wednesday.
“The reason this site is not developed right now with office and a hotel is because they kept missing the market. Every time something was approved, missed the market. We need to make sure… this doesn’t miss the market,” Hennessey said.
The concept includes 740,000 square feet of retail space and a 150-room hotel with about 120,000 to 180,000 square feet. Two anchor stores would take about 40-50 percent of the overall structure and there would be 75 smaller stores. “Indoor public space” is 180,000 square feet; the outdoor plaza would be about 10,000 square feet, with sheltered performing arts space. The educational space would be 5,000 square feet.
Cafero described “very exciting conversations with Norwalk Community College to have maybe classrooms, community space where education is going on, as yet another use on this property.” Students would take advantage of the site itself in a “synergy with what’s going on in the retail center;” NCC’s food service program could be involved and there could be an architectural school and marketing classes, he said.
Cafero unveiled a new concept rendering, showing a large space going over North Water Street. Hempstead asked if that meant the new idea is to make the road a tunnel. Doug Adams of GGP said no. The rendering is compressed multilevel plan, he said.
Hempstead he’d want to see comparisons to existing area malls so everyone can get a feel for the size. GGP will have to pay for third party independent input, he said.
Councilman Bruce Kimmel (D-At Large) said the Planning Committee needs to decide if it agrees on page one of the LDA.
“Do we agree in the shift of land use, moving to retail and hotel?” he asked. “If we can’t agree on that we are really just spinning our wheels and wasting our time.”
Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce President Ed Musante clapped.
Kimmel said this is the third or fourth discussion the committee has had on the LDA and he still doesn’t know if there is a consensus.
“If I were against it I would not be saying what I am saying now, if I was against it,” Kimmel said. “I would be talking about a whole different set of complexities that we would have to address.”
It’s possible to throw out roadblocks but “as a city we can move very quickly… we can probably expedite the permits,” Kimmel said.
“You are beginning to restore my faith in democracy,” Hennessy said.
“Everyone is a little bit right here,” Cafero said, calling the proposal “an incredibly complex development.” There are two ways to make sure it doesn’t come to fruition, he said: vote no, or “drag the process out so that markets are missed.”
GGP will “work day and night and provide any information, attend any meeting at any time, any place to make sure this does get done as soon as possible,” he said.
“If there’s a will there’s a way and we are hopeful,” Cafero said. “This is a good first sign that there is a will.”
Mayor Harry Rilling attended the meeting and saw most of the presentation. Asked if he would consider the proposal the highest and best use for the property, Rilling said, “I think it’s a better use than leaving an empty hole in the ground. I think that we really have to determine what’s good for Norwalk. I think that they’ve done a remarkable job of listening to people and putting together what they believe is a unique kind of mixed use. It’s not their traditional mixed use of residential, retail, that kind of thing, but they’re including a hotel, which is one thing people asked for. They’re including a performing arts center. They’re including a partnership with Norwalk Community College. So it’s a different kind of project.
“Again,” he continued, “it’s something that we have to vet out and take a look at. I agree with Councilman Kimmel. First thing you need to do is page one – are we open to the idea? Are we willing to change the Land Disposition Agreement? If so, then we move forward and we try to move forward quickly. But I want to commend them, I think they’ve done a good job of trying to accommodate all the things that they have heard from the community.”
Original story:
NORWALK, Conn. – The developers of a hoped for-mall in SoNo say they have listened to the public in one year’s worth of outreach gathering and have come up with a plan they think will meet the requirements of the contract the company has with Norwalk for the land usage.
The concept for a mall on the 95/7 site now includes a boutique hotel and classrooms for use of Norwalk Community College, as well as community spaces, state Rep. Larry Cafero said Wednesday at a joint meeting of the Planning Committee and Redevelopment Agency.
Cafero is just one of the representatives of General Growth Properties (GGP) who made a presentation to the governmental bodies in a packed City Hall meeting room.
The grand opening would be in mid-2018, a representative said. That timeline would make it unlikely to miss the market with the site, as has been done in the past.
But Committee Chairman Doug Hempstead and RDA Chairman Felix Serrano said they thought a one year timeframe to modify the Land Disposition Agreement is “aggressive,” expressing skepticism that it could be done. GGP representatives promised to work day and night to make it possible.
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