[BPt111]

NORWALK — General Growth Properties, Inc., (GGP) will put forward for approval a 700,000-square-foot regional retail center for the last dozen acres of Norwalk’s Reed Putnam Urban Renewal area, otherwise known as the 95/7 site.
On Monday, GGP representatives showed The Hour drawings of the proposed complex, which they say will not be a traditional, fortress-like mall, but rather a retail center that will reach out to surrounding parts of Norwalk.
“We’re not trying to turn our backs on the surrounding areas. We’re not trying to bring in tons of local restaurants that could compete — that competition is already coming from the surrounding towns. We want to help this area,” said Douglas T. Adams, GGP’s senior director. “In terms of a net benefit, we’re going to draw a million people a month.”

Five percent of those visitors going “out to explore,” Adams continued, would bring an additional 600,000 people annually to surrounding areas of Norwalk, including SoNo and upper West Avenue.
On Tuesday, GGP planned to present the conceptual plan to The Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce.
The regional retail center, which GGP has yet to name, would serve approximately 209,800 households, or 576,200 people, from Greenwich to Fairfield.
The conceptual plan shows not only the site, which is bounded by West Avenue, Interstate 95, the North Water Street extension and Metro-North Railroad's Danbury Line, but also surrounding areas, including the South Norwalk Train Station, Washington Street, North Main Street, West Avenue and Wall Street.


GGP hopes to connect the retail complex to the areas with a trolley or shuttle service, bicycle and

pedestrians paths and possibly a water taxi. The company hopes to partner with the Norwalk Transit District on some of these projects.
The conceptual plan of the mall shows five levels of construction with parking at and below grade, and above that three levels of retail space with further parking behind each level. Roughly 3,000 paid parking spaces would serve the facility.
The complex would house two or three fashion department stores as anchor tenants, along with 75 to 100 small shops and restaurants, mostly along the corridors within the mall. Discussions have been had with possible tennants, according to Adams, but he would not disclose who those tenants might be.
“Jewel box” additions along the West Avenue side of the mall would house additional retail. The exterior of the mall would be largely glass.
Large public plazas would anchor the north and south ends of the mall along West Avenue. The structure would be built around and above the newly extended North Water Street.


“At this point, we’re excited to get the plan out there,” said John C. Charters, vice president of development for GGP’s eastern region. “We’ve got a plan that we’ve developed — a preliminary plan — but a plan that we can talk to folks about and find out what support we have, what issues we have, what do we need to build on.”
According to GGP, the development would create 2,485 permanent jobs, nearly nine in 10 of which would be in Norwalk, as well as 5,545 construction jobs over the estimated 30-month building period.
In economic impacts, GGP projects the mall would generate $4.7 million in construction permit fees, and $5.5 million in annual property taxes by 2025.
Located in an Enterprise Zone, the nearly $300 million development would not be subject to full assessment, in terms of real estate property taxes, until its eighth year of existence.
Adams said GGP hopes to secure approvals for the conceptual plan, site plan and modifications to an existing Land Disposition Agreement with the city by year’s end and start construction in 2015.
GGP plans to hold a number of meetings with neighborhood organizations to present the plan.
General Growth Properties bought the property from South-Norwalk based developer Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, LLC, last November for $35 million.








more to it http://www.thehour.com/news/norwalk/...eccba73b2.html

[DarkWolf]

Can you say Traffic Nightmare?

[Sigequinox]

That could be good news for the town. The only downside I can think of is traffic, but I'm not familiar with Norwalk. Such a large commercial center could potentially offset local tax burden, increase revenue for the state, and attract new business (a lot of foot traffic).

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

Can you say Traffic Nightmare?

most of that area is already a traffic nightmare.

[BPt111]

It will be here by 2016/2017

[DrPizza]

Will there be a Wegmans or Publix in that shopping center .

[Cambium]

Originally Posted by BPt111

“In terms of a net benefit, we’re going to draw a million people a month.”

Five percent of those visitors going “out to explore,” Adams continued, would bring an additional 600,000 people annually to surrounding areas of Norwalk, including SoNo and upper West Avenue.

Are ... You... Friggin ... Kidding ... Me???

Norwalk has 2 Walmarts, 2 Wallgreens, 2 KFCs, 2 McDonalds, 2 Stop & Shops, 2 big Home Improvement stores on same road, 2 Town Fair Tires, They wanted a 2nd Costco (BJs), maybe even a 2nd Best Buy. Now they want to draw all these people into the area and nobody is talking about widening the roads????????

It's all about the money. These developers know if they build people will come. Purely disgusting to watch this entire area/corridor go this way. This is not CT, it's an extension of NYC.

Are people suffering that we need this crap continuing to be built??? WTF! Is the economy so great that we need extra locations to shop in.

Lowes itself will bring in extra congestion. People disgust me. So you want an extra 600,000 people in that area???

[FutureTown]

Man, I wish some higher up can allocate these things around the state. This deserves to be in Waterbury. That city needs to be resuscitated.

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by FutureTown

Man, I wish some higher up can allocate these things around the state. This deserves to be in Waterbury. That city needs to be resuscitated.

Improve Rail Service to Waterbury

[Stylo]

That is HIDEOUS.

What the heck? When did this go from a mixed use urban development to a mall?

Does the area really need another mall?

If built, this would wreak havoc on Norwalk's attempt to rebuild its city streets and maintain a strong SoNo. A mall in this area would be a traffic nightmare and would suck the life out of so many local businesses.

The people of Norwalk should be up in arms over this.