Mayor Staffieri and the Redevelopment Agency have worked many hours conceiving this downtown project.
There is no doubt they did their full due diligence in the selection of Eclipse.
However, Eclipse was tasked with an idea, and like any business, they are going to produce what they know they can deliver in a reasonable time.
They are not thinking about what is good for Derby long term. Instead, they are thinking about this one project at this one point in time.
Eclipse is planning to turn Downtown Derby into a massive strip mall. Research has proven this concept to be ineffective time and time again. There are vacancies in virtually every strip mall in Derby.
The future of Downtown Derby should include some mixed-use development as the current market conditions cannot sustain much, if any, housing.
Shelton is in the beginning stages of building approximately 1,000 residential units in their downtown area. There is no need to compete with Shelton by wasting our prime real estate on additional residential units that will ultimately sit empty.
Derby is witnessing firsthand that current market conditions cannot sustain retail establishments, either.
And with an abundance of office space throughout Shelton, it would be unwise to build offices in our downtown. A movie theater would also prove disastrous. Instead, why not include restaurants, a bakery and a barber shop? Restaurants typically remain strong, even through difficult economic periods.
Downtown is fortunate to be situated at the confluence of two rivers, providing an ideal location for a community college or a satellite campus for the Yale University School of Nursing. With Griffin Hospital’s affiliation with Yale-New Haven Hospital, Derby is a natural fit for such a facility.
The area is highly visible, close to major roadways and in walking distance to commuter rail lines.
One major caveat the Redevelopment Agency has failed to identify thus far is the properties that incorporate several parcels of land in the Redevelopment Zone are privately owned.
Disturbingly, one of the major landowners in the Redevelopment Zone is Ceruzzi, the former developer in which the City of Derby recently paid $1.75 million to settle a lawsuit.
Additionally, that $1.75 million settlement did not include the reacquisition of the property.
Derby is now going to have to pay Ceruzzi another substantial amount of money to get that land back. Ceruzzi continues to be a major
roadblock for redevelopment.
A deal has not yet been reached with any of the existing owners in order for Eclipse to proceed.
Unless Derby intends to implement the use of eminent domain, the downtown redevelopment project cannot move forward as outlined by
Eclipse.
I understand the urgency to get a shovel into the ground, but this is our one chance to get it right.
It would be extremely unfortunate to waste this opportunity on the current proposal by Eclipse.
I’d rather wait for improved market conditions than see a strip mall built downtown.
The writer is trying to secure the Democratic nomination for Derby mayor.
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At first, I actually was in agreement with most of the initial points made in this column – especially since it took into account what is in process outside of Derby. That is, until it stated “Instead, why not include restaurants, a bakery and a barber shop? Restaurants typically remain strong, even through difficult economic periods.” In an ideal world and properly marketed, restaraunts can be a theoretical good venture, esp. in Derby where various ethnic demographics are so abundant and the growing popularity of the town’s food festivals. However, the current economic climate cannot be under-estimated, and restaurants/bakeries, though they can definitely offer a nice local flavor or alternative, are very tough to get off the ground from scratch(e.g. the several attempts in the Plaza on the Green) unless they are possibly an established chain or perhaps eligible for the small business grants that are out there. And, I believe most Derbyites would want to avoid having a “Division Street”-type of look downtown, so this is a tough one. Ditto re: banking on barber shops to be a sufficient draw, other than for local patrons. I’m not quite sure at this time what the overall answer is, but it seems to me that there needs to be some central focus or overall theme to the entire development process/plan that 1) fits in well with Derby’s storied history and ethnic diversity 2) is a unique draw that’s not yet apparent in the rest of the NV region, and 3) includes a more comprehensive approach to the whole city vs. nickle and diming individual business ventures…just my hunch.
This development isn’t about the economic environment this year or next year – what is decided will affect downtown for the next 50 years, even if it is not all built right now. The better the leader, the longer into the future they think.
There is no reason left to go downtown other than to do business with the government. Bank of America closes this month. Almost nobody under 60 would goes to a post office. People don’t go to the phone company to pay their phone bill or buy a phone. Tailgaters is closed. Housatonic Lumber is closed. Valley Bowling is closed. Dwarkin Cheverolet is empty. The Concrete company behind the train station is gone. Staples is gone. The development area behind BJ’s is still sitting there undeveloped last time I looked. Sterling Opera house sits empty. The gas station next to the old city hall is still empty, despite the plan to open a convenience store.
Division is only empty on the Derby side (the Ansonia Landing place that has the Radio Shack). The Stop & Shop shopping center is doing a brisk business and doesn’t have a vacancy – along with the busy CVS shopping center – unless the objection to strip malls is they generate economic activity and jobs (and traffic).
WalMart, Home Depot, BJ’s and Lowes are doing a brisk business in the “bad” economy. What do they have in common?
If that poperty was used at least partly for high density (not low income!) housing, the people living there would provide a permanent economic base to support restaurants, shopping and medical services downtown. I really don’t understand this opposition to people living downtown, as long as the developer is not asking to use the city as a way to guarantee bonds to finance the thing.
At least Mr Foley realizes the folly of building a movie theater. That counts for something.