[CTartist]

This is what a lot of people don't understand about the Trumbull Mall. There are many people who use mass transit buses and don't have cars. There is always a steady stream of people getting off of the buses and that includes many young adults from Sacred Heart University which is growing by leaps and bounds. In good weather Sacred Heart is walkable to the Trumbull Mall at 1.5 miles. I am in my fifties and I walk further than that.

Also there's this.

Shelton HH Income: $90,754
Stratford HH Income: $72,098
Bridgeport HH Income: $42,113

Not to mention the valley towns.
Derby HH Income: $58,369
Seymour HH Income: $71,019
etc.

The Trumbull Mall is in competition with the affordable Milford Mall not a high end mall in Norwalk. I used to go shopping on Main Street in Westport but I haven't been able to afford that in over 10 years. The struggling middle class "up county" does not have that kind of disposable income anymore to go shopping at high end malls. A lot of people on here will say "what about Easton". Most people from Easton I know do not go to the Trumbull Mall anyway and the Easton population is only 7,490. Bridgeport has a population of 145,934 (largest city in CT) middle class and I doubt they will be shopping at a high end mall. BRIDGEPORT HAS NO MALL and not a lot of shopping frankly. My little town of Trumbull has the most concentrated affordable shopping in upper Fairfield County. Do you think people with lower incomes can afford to go traveling to a bunch of stores? No they don't. The Norwalk Mall and Westport high end shopping will be in competition because to the higher income individuals the cost of driving further (gas, wear and tear etc) does not matter. But it matters a great deal to the people in the Bridgeport area. OH YES BTW, wait till the tolls hit. They are going to wack Fairfield County with tolls. Now us in the Bridgeport area are going to have to spend MORE MONEY going to a mall we can't afford anyway?

Also all the people who are saying that the malls are close does not take the drive to Norwalk on a weekly (like I do) or daily basis. Do you realize what the traffic is like from Trumbull let alone the further towns to Norwalk. It's maddening. I am not going to spend my precious time getting stuck in traffic for and hour+ each way to go to a mall. when my mall is a 5 minute drive down Main Street in Trumbull with virtually no traffic during the day.

It all looks good on paper in miles until you start getting stuck in the infamous "no exit zone" of the Parkway between Westport and Fairfield sometimes for an hour in itself. Trust me when the bloom is off the rose of the new mall it won't get as much traffic from "up county" as you think.

Does anyone realize what that new mall will do to the traffic from Norwalk to Bridgeport. OK so here is how it goes now. When there is a backup in the "no exit zone" of the Parkway everyone starts heading to I-95. Good luck with that when all the Norwalk Mall traffic is added in.

And another BTW........there was an article in the CT Post about a casino coming to Bridgeport and this looks very serious. I think it is coming, this is the real deal now. The state, Governor, the Indians etc. are going to make the deals because CT desperately needs the tax money from a casino in Bridgeport. Good luck with the casino traffic thrown in going to the mall in Norwalk for a daily/weekly jaunt that you can't afford anyway.

[mike fecke]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I don't think that any tenants beyond the anchors (Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's) has been announced. I am sure a tenant list will be announced in the coming months as the mall nears completion. I would think they will mostly be higher end retail and restaurants, plus maybe a couple of entertainment venues. It looks it is going to be a beautiful place and an asset to the region. Jay

Interesting to hear that they would be adding a Nordstroms in Norwalk when the chain is on the decline. And it doesn't help that there is one located 20 miles south of Norwalk in downtown White Plains

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by mike fecke

Interesting to hear that they would be adding a Nordstroms in Norwalk when the chain is on the decline...

Nordstrom declining? Have you been reading the Rhode Island forum? If anything Nordstrom is growing. Jay

https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/...-meltdown.aspx

https://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...-2018-Earnings

[hvexpatinct]

Originally Posted by mike fecke

Interesting to hear that they would be adding a Nordstroms in Norwalk when the chain is on the decline. And it doesn't help that there is one located 20 miles south of Norwalk in downtown White Plains

Nordstrom is a destination store, and the one in Norwalk will be more accessible to those of us in the New Haven and Danbury areas than the ones in White Plains and West Hartford. I'm excited.

[Stephy0519]

Originally Posted by mike fecke

Interesting to hear that they would be adding a Nordstroms in Norwalk when the chain is on the decline. And it doesn't help that there is one located 20 miles south of Norwalk in downtown White Plains

I believe Nordstrom was one of the first to sign on. When I moved into the Waypointe, back in early 2014 (was one of the first tenants,) they were already a known presence.

Also, I am Nordstrom's target shopper...and I HATED having to go down to White Plains to get to it. I always ordered online.

Also, definitely not in decline. Look up their newer ventures, like Nordstrom Local.

[OyCrumbler]

Are these malls yall talking about close to a rail stop at all? Do any of them come with a mixed-use residential or office component?

[Stephy0519]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

Are these malls yall talking about close to a rail stop at all? Do any of them come with a mixed-use residential or office component?

The SoNo mall will be near the South Norwalk Train station--walking distance of about a mile (if that.) That whole area of sono and near the WayPointe has mixed use and office component spaces.

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

Are these malls yall talking about close to a rail stop at all? Do any of them come with a mixed-use residential or office component?

My town of Trumbull with the mall is in discussions with the mall owners and the residents of the town about putting up apartments on the mall property now. Our first selectman put the project on hold so we can all voice our opinions on it. At first I was against having apartments but now I am for it. In fact I am now for a mini-urbanization in Trumbull below the Parkway and a walkable type "village" on both sides of Main Street below the Parkway. Maybe have a walkable over pass like the train station in Fairfield has to connect both sides on Trumbull Main Street (below the Parkway) in a little type of urban village. I now think our mall needs this to compete not only with the Norwalk Mall but the Milford Mall.

Norwalk and Milford has train stations but Trumbull does not. But you can take the Route 25/8 connector down to the train station in Bridgeport pretty quickly from our mall area. Google maps puts it at 11 minutes. Not too bad.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by CTartist

My town of Trumbull with the mall is in discussions with the mall owners and the residents of the town about putting up apartments on the mall property now. Our first selectman put the project on hold so we can all voice our opinions on it. At first I was against having apartments but now I am for it. In fact I am now for a mini-urbanization in Trumbull below the Parkway and a walkable type "village" on both sides of Main Street below the Parkway. Maybe have a walkable over pass like the train station in Fairfield has to connect both sides on Trumbull Main Street (below the Parkway) in a little type of urban village. I now think our mall needs this to compete not only with the Norwalk Mall but the Milford Mall.

Norwalk and Milford has train stations but Trumbull does not. But you can take the Route 25/8 connector down to the train station in Bridgeport pretty quickly from our mall area. Google maps puts it at 11 minutes. Not too bad.

I would be for converting empty space at malls into apartment. Don’t know about new buildings on the properties. Milford and Trumbull malls will likely continue to struggle to fill their commercial space and it will only get harder.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by Stylo

I would be for converting empty space at malls into apartment. Don’t know about new buildings on the properties. Milford and Trumbull malls will likely continue to struggle to fill their commercial space and it will only get harder.

That’s actually what’s happening in many southern areas. They’re tearing down empty structures that formerly held anchor stores and constructing luxury apartments. It’s actually a very good idea and I suspect it will attract more dining options and possibly even nightlife in years to come.