Stories Of The Year, No. 8: Derby Settles Redevelopment Lawsuit

“If we don’t get it done, I’m not running again.”

It was a remark spoken by more than one Derby Republican after the local GOP managed to retain control of the Board of Aldermen Nov. 3.

The sentence was a reference to the city’s long-suffering downtown redevelopment project.

Two things happened this year in court to trigger the statement.

First, in July, a judge ruled that the working relationship between Ceruzzi Derby Redevelopment, LLC and the city was broken — and could not be fixed.

Second, the city agreed to pay $1.75 million to the developer to settle a lawsuit the company brought against the city for breach of contract.

The decision by the Board of Aldermen, made less than a month prior to the Nov. 3 election, effectively ended a ​“he said/she said” battle that had gone back and forth in phonebook-thick court files for a year.

It also means the city starts 2010 with a clean slate — and, officials have said, no more excuses.

Still, don’t expect a mini version of Milford’s Westfield Connecticut Post Shopping Mall to sprout up by Feb. 3.

The redevelopment area generally stretches along Main Street (across from City Hall) down to the Route 8 ramps next to the former Lifetouch building.

With the Lifetouch property on the market — and nearby Housatonic Lumber gone — officials have said that part of downtown has a good chance to be redeveloped fairly quickly.

There are ideas for a grocery store (Trader Joe’s? Whole Foods?), a pharmacy and perhaps a movie theater on that end.

However, the Housatonic property went into foreclosure and was auctioned off by a bank. The new owner is not the person who appeared at a Derby Redevelopment Agency meeting floating ideas about a grocery store and pharmacy.

So — it’s complicated.

Nevertheless, and the last meeting of the redevelopment agency, members gave Derby Economic Director Sheila O’Malley the green light to start writing requests for proposals for portions of the redevelopment zone.

The agency also formally endorsed a ​“mixed use” concept for the area — commercial, retail, residences.

And the agency has its chance to bring in several developers to tackle the area — as opposed to one developer handling the entire project.

“I’ve seen more progress in the last four-to-five months compared to the last five years,” business owner Carl Yacobacci said in October.