A California developer has a year to line up retail tenants for a 160,000 square-foot conceptual plan endorsed by the city’s Redevelopment Agency.
(Note: The Derby section of the Electronic Valley has large-scale shots of the conceptual plan. Click here.)
Douglas B. Gray, the president and CEO of Eclipse Development, unveiled drawings at the Redevelopment meeting Tuesday that called for nine buildings ranging in size from 5,000 square feet to 58,000 square feet to be placed on 15 acres stretching along the south side of Main Street (Route 34) from the Derby-Shelton bridge to the Route 8 entrance ramps.
Gray repeatedly stressed his plans were conceptual — and that they could change depending on the tenants he attracts.
If everything goes as planned — and that’s always a large if — stores could open in 2013, Gray said.
“Hell, I’d like to start in three months, if I can,” he said.
In Connecticut, Eclipse developed North Haven Commons in North Haven. Click here for the company’s website.
Right now Gray said he has interest from two, possibly three, national restaurant chains — not fast food places such as McDonald’s. The rest of the development would be retail, including, possibly, a grocery store.
A “big box” store — Target, Home Depot — is not in the plan.
City officials said the project probably be Derby’s largest retail center, if fully developed.
The project could also generate between $400,000 to $500,000 in annual tax revenue, according to Sheila O’Malley, the city’s economic development director.
Gray’s plans showed 1,060 parking spaces — roughly three times the size of the Derby parking garage, Redevelopment Agency member Michael Kelleher pointed out.
The Redevelopment Agency’s approval of Gray’s idea was a critical point in the long-suffering redevelopment zone.
The next step is for Gray’s company to get 75 to 80 percent of the tenants to sign pre-lease agreements. They need a high percentage of tenant interest to qualify for a bank construction loan, Gray said.
“We think something very similar to this can be built,” Gray said.
After taking questions from Redevelopment Agency members, Gray took questions from the audience.
Audience members included Brian Calvert, owner of the venerable Calvert Safe and Lock at 40 Caroline St.
Calvert said no one from Eclipse had contacted him — and their plans showed a pretty fountain where is store now sits.
“I’ve never met you, I’ve never heard from you,” Calvert said.
“The next step, in our contract with city, is to take it from conceptual plan and see if it is something that can generate interest in the market,” Gray said.
Arlene Yacobacci, who owns property in the redevelopment zone, called the project a “fancy strip mall.” She also wanted to know what would happen to the existing businesses in the redevelopment zone. She asked whether properties would be taken by eminent domain.
“Once we know the project is feasible, you will be contacted by someone from my office,” Gray said.
City Treasurer Keith McLiverty urged the developer to go easy on the number of parking spaces. Home Depot and the new Derby Middle School are seas of empty parking spaces thanks to the formula used to determine the amount of spaces needed.
Joe Bomba, chairman of the Redevelopment Agency, said Gray’s company have been good to work with, so far.
“These guys have just been awesome to work with,” Bomba said of the developer. “They have taken more than a swing at this point. They have showed their total interest in the city of Derby.”
“Start building,” Mayor Anthony Staffieri said.
We live blogged the heck out of Wednesday’s meeting. Click the box below to relive the magic.
All of this is very exciting….but you have to love how vague Gray was when asked by various local business owners what will happen to them. i hope we can have the projext under way within a year, i am very curious to see who and what will fill the retail space and what restaraunts it will attract that arent already in close proximity to derby.
I love it! All this time and money spent and what they have ultimately come up with is another retail shopping center! Might as well just put a Walmart there and call it a day. At least the developer will have a chance at securing a Walmart. Wow, what an inspiring city center they have envisioned for Derby! Have these people completely lost their minds?
I bet just your mother calls you sharpeye, cause I think your vision is just as bad as Derby’s leaders! Yes, Derby does have a Walmart, on the other side of Town, and I know for a fact that they are currently shopping up the Route 8 corridor for another location, so don’t be surprised if they land in your beautiful, quaint, shopping center themed citycenter. And I don’t think it is foolish to criticize the most ridiculous of all the plans to date. What’s truly foolish is your notion that this plan is the hallmark of Derby’s aspirations, which to me more resembles perspiration, since obviously Derby is desperate for some immediate tax revenue.
To Blind-eye:
I have no axe to grind, only speaking the god’s truth! A commercial center as the focal point of a redevelopment plan for a city with a rich and proud history is ridiculous. Sorry. Since you’re basically starting from scratch, create something unique that will distinguish Derby from absolutely everywhere else. That is your only chance for success, in my humble, under-appreciated opinion. Oh, and I put my money where my mouth is every single day in my business. The question is, are you putting your money into this plan, or just the taxpayer’s? I have nothing against the Derby’s leaders. I just believe this plan is stupid. But don’t get yourself in a lather, it’s not going to happen anyway. Why would a tenant pay the $20 per square foot that the developer and the bank needs to make this happen, when there are plenty of vacancies that can be had for less than $8.00 in the Valley? Perhaps it’s that Downtown Derby allure that will get them to fork out the extra dough.
Seymour SCO,
i am sure if walmart is shopping up the rt 8 corridor for a new location then a retail shopping center right on the derby shelton towline in dowtown derby would be quite successful. sure you can fine 8.00 per square foot retail space in the valley but where?? In your backyard in the woods of seymour. If you want more exposure you pay more. What major shopping center in the area is going to give you 8.00 per sq ft besides that ghost town of a shopping center you have? Just because your town has done anything with that ghost town of a plaza you have over there please dont shoot down the porject.
While i agree with that something in talks like this project has been for quote sometime they probabbly could have been a little more creative then a shopping center. But the facts are that if the deal does finally happen it will bring new repuatble tax paying business to derby.
Enjoy your movie theatre, subway and pizza restaraunt, along with all that vacant space.
My opinion about the project has nothing to do with Tri-Town. I personally think it should be demolished. I am not a Derby basher, quite to the contrary. I personally think you have a tremendous asset with the riverfront, good exposure and a rich historic identity. Regardless of whether the last developer had the wherewithal to accomplish his plan, it was a good plan and had the potential to create something special. Creating yet another retail shopping center as the focal point for a downtown redevelopment plan is just ridiculous and I am amazed that no-one else can see that. Your leaders are merely selling out Derby’s future for a quick tax revenue fix. What about an investment in quality of life for Derby’s residents? This plan completely ignores all that is good and special about Derby, and that, other than it’s ultimately not going to happen, is my point!
Then what is creative??? Lets create a more quality life for the city of derby. What is the demand of derby residents? These are questions are leaders should be asking, i agree.
What would be a good idea??? I cetainly cant think of anything? It needs to be something that stmulates the economy of derby while offering reidents something they want.
I agree another retail center sounds boring, but as you read in the article no big sotres will be coming in like target or walmart…there will be room for a small grocery store though. I know the last thing we may need in the area is another grocery chain but why not put like a whole foods store there. The chain restaraunts will be a nice add to the area. i know we have outback, chili’s, and bertucci’s just up bridgeport ave, but why not bring some restaraunts here that we dont have in the area??? Like a rainforest cafe, or a red robin places that we would have to go to NY or upstate CT for. There would be a demand for places liek those if we investigated it. I dont want to take credit for those ideas, these are ideas that me and a couple other derby residents have been kicking around for a few weeks now.
I would be awesome to make derby the focal point for fresh business to the area. Which means poeple would travel to derby for these restaraunts and stores other then the other way around.
FYI, 58,000 square feet is not a small market. In the industry, I’m pretty sure that is considered a “big box”. Unfortunately, Derby isn’t even in the demographics neighborhood to attract a Whole Foods. If your lucky, perhaps you could secure a Price Chopper. As far as restaurant’s go, if you want more than one or two, you will need some kind of entertainment draw, which means movie theater, or indoor sports center, etc, etc… The idea of upscale apartments and retail, and entertainment and biking paths all centered around the river was your best idea to date. Just cause Ceruzzi couldn’t pull it off, doesn’t make it a bad plan. The good news is… if you are able to secure a Price Chopper, in a few more years when your leaders have squandered the rest of the City’s coffers, you can then have Price Chopper sponser the City, for a nice fee of course, and rename the city Price Chopperville. Then, and only then will it all make sense that a big box grocery store is the central focal point of your redevelopment efforts!
To SoxFan:
You are absolute right. Amen! The City will profit considerably more if it invests in itself now, but in this economy, how likely is that to happen? Not to mention the small town political minds that can only hope to obtain power by disagreeing and opposing with the other guy, regardless of the issue or merits of their ideas. Creating political division is the new name of the game and there is absolutely no hope of bipartisan cooperation to benefit the common good. Perhaps not an expert, but I am in the business and I know your ideas make alot of sense on a number of fronts. A promenade along the river is a wonderful idea and a diversified investment and shopping base is the way to go about it. It might even be wise for the city to subsidize a draw, like a Trader Joes, just to get the project going. How about a tax holiday for a few years so they have a little breathing room until other investment takes hold? With regard to your 10-mi demographic info, that’s great for an entertainment draw, or perhaps a Stew Leonards, but a traditional grocery store is only interested in your 3-mi data, which isn’t quite as good. For whatever it’s worth, even though I don’t vote in Derby, I think you are on the right track.
SoxFan:
I agree with you on the comments of the city needing to incest in itself for it to suceed, but we all know that is a far stretch and we probably wont see that happen.
As a concerned taxpayer i was just kicking around ideas that it would be nice to maybe have those places in our ares. i know we cant just open up a ctalog of stores and restaraunts and say i want one of those, and 2 of those, etc.
I am just sick of the regular, grocery store, nail salon, chain restaraunt, and a sea of parking.
All of which is the norm for all of the shopping centers in the area.
But once again i am a realist and realize that the city officials certainly wont ask the opinions of the mere taxpayers which keeps the city running. There would be alot of great dialog if they gave people of the city if derby a chance just to make suggestions and even back it with specific info like soxfan did. But ill believe that when i see it.
To Voiceofreason: Funny fact about that “ghost town” of a shopping center in neighboring Seymour, it gets more than 300,000 customer visits each year as it stands today! Good luck in redeveloping your little ghost town.
True Story:
99% of those people (if that figure is even true) come to watch movies and leave. the other 1% come to grab a pizza, sub, or buy booze. Check this article out. I suggest you do a little research before you start shooting of at the mouth.
http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/thevalleygazette/news/localnews/72666-no-tenants-on-horizon-for-plaza.html
just read that article. Now thats a true story!!!!
All very interesting comments. What I would like to know is has there been any analysis (made public) similar to what’s been suggested in this article: http://citiwire.net/post/2133/
Obviously, current market conditions will dictate what is “feasible” in today’s economic climate. Which is probably why this developer presented a plan that is very different than the previous plan. My gut tells me that this plan isn’t a bad one – I just don’t believe it’s the right one for our downtown. I can see something like this where Valley Bowl is located – heck it’s halfway deserted anyway; but not in downtown. I just hope that the redevelopment agency and city officials look at this development project and really consider how this project will help (or not) our city in the long-term.
I understand that there is a lot of fustration and urgency to get something done and shovels in the ground – but my feeling is that this is a one-shot deal. It’s critical to the future success of the City. Let’s do all we can to get this right. And if it means being patient until market conditions get better and investors start having more confidence then let’s wait it out. There’s commitment right across the river in Shelton’s downtown – so there shouldn’t be too much disparity in our downtown. Heck we’ve waiting this long….what’s a little longer to get it right.
No offense to this developer; but at the end of the day they just want to get in and out as quickly as possible. In the current economy – this is probably the most viable plan that has the greatest chance of success for a relatively quick entry and exit strategy. Again, I ask, is this what is best for the future of Derby?
I have read the article and the figure is true. Just thought you might want some real facts upon which to comment. While the Cinema does produce a majority of the visits; Dunkin Donuts, Subway, Bushi Ban Martial Arts studio, Alberto’s Restaurant, Hair Intrigue, Drew’s Discount Liquors and the Tire Shak, all produce a very good amount of traffic. Oh, and voicing your thoughts or referencing a news article, doesn’t necessarily give you knowledge or truth, it just gives you an opinion, that’s all!
With my preivous comment i covered the movie, theatre, subway and albertos. I do apoligize for forgetting dunkin donuts, hair salon and a martial arts center. Tire shack is owned seperately from the plaza.
This shouldnt be about tri-town plaza but the seymour crowd came in bashing a town of derby development. While more then 75% of your plaza remains vacant yet again another year. Im just giving you the article that states the facts. There is no one currently interested in seymour’s plaza, and now eclipse will have 1 year to find tenants for the derby plaza. We will see if the tenants will commit to derby. As for now i am glad there is a place i can grab a coffee and a comedy….thanks seymour