A prominent Valley land use attorney said the Derby Board of Aldermen must be willing to spend money in order for the downtown redevelopment project to happen.
“I think at this point it has to be recognized that the redevelopment project is really turning into a mess,” Dominick Thomas told the Aldermen during their meeting last Thursday (May 24).
Thomas represents three private property owners who control land within the city’s redevelopment zone, which stretches along the Housatonic River from the Derby-Shelton bridge toward the former Lifetouch property near the Route 8 south on-ramp.
Eclipse Development of California is working on a plan to purchase properties within the redevelopment zone in order to build a shopping center. However, Thomas said there are some seven property owners within the zone and that the only way redevelopment will happen is for Derby to step up and buy everyone out.
“If you don’t own the property, redevelopment is still a dream,” Thomas said.
Thomas said some of the existing businesses in the redevelopment zone have been left to die on the vine while redevelopment drags on.
“I am asking you as the Board of Aldermen to consider bonding to buy the rest of these people out. They have been in limbo for years. Some of them have actually been confronted by a customer showing up and saying ‘I thought you were out of business. What are you doing down here?’”
Ken Hughes, a member of the Board of Aldermen and the city’s appointed Redevelopment Authority, said he’s not keen on hitting up Derby residents for permission to borrow money given the economy.
“That’s really what he’s asking us to do,” Hughes said.
Hughes said the city had tried something like Thomas is suggesting when the city proposed a development act in 2009. Voters said no.
Hughes said Eclipse is working on a development plan. The Redevelopment Agency has not been meeting regularly because they are waiting for news from the developer.
“So far they’ve done everything they said they would do, so I see no reason to give up on them yet,” Hughes said.
Staffieri said Thomas is simply trying to do what’s best for his clients — and that doesn’t necessarily jive with what’s right for Derby taxpayers.
“That’s a lawyer trying to push for his clients to receive a substantial amount of money on the city’s back. I’m not considering that,” Staffieri said.
Staffieri said the development is progressing at a much slower rate than the city had hoped for — but that Eclipse is still working on it.
“It’s the economy,” Staffieri said. “What used to take six months takes a year.”
Carmen DiCenso, a member of the Derby Board of Aldermen, said the city should take a look at Thomas’ suggestion if it means making redevelopment downtown a reality.
“Unless you own it they (a developer) is not going to go forward with it,” DiCenso said at last week’s Aldermen meeting.
