Move forward. Move forward. Move forward.
That was the theme at Tuesday night’s Redevelopment Agency meeting, where members decided to “hold off” on plans to have Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley arrange a roundtable discussion on the downtown redevelopment project.
In September, after a flurry of new interest from developers, the majority of agency members supported such a meeting. Developers, consultants and neighboring economic development experts were to be invited.
However, the support for such a meeting lost steam at subsequent Redevelopment Agency meetings.
The reasons for not having the meeting were plentiful — at one point, Redevelopment Agency chairman Joseph Bomba worried politics would take over the discussion.
After a lengthy discussion, one main reason emerged: A roundtable discussion would be a step backward in the process, because the city and its people have already shown their support for a “mixed use” concept in the 22-acre redevelopment zone, which stretches along Main Street from roughly the Derby-Shelton bridge toward the Route 8 entrance ramps.
A roundtable discussion could give the impression that Derby is looking to start from scratch — that’s not the case, Mayor Anthony Staffieri said.
“The project is what it is. That’s what’s going there. It’s mixed use,” Staffieri said.
The basic concept for the redevelopment zone includes areas of residential housing, retail and larger commercial spots.
Talking To Developers
At this point, Derby officials said they don’t have formal proposals from developers.
However, Stafferi and O’Malley are in discussions with several developers to gauge what type of economic development is possible there. The idea is to get an idea of what the developers have in mind — and whether their desires mesh with Derby’s reality.
The city has also tweaked the redevelopment concept by hoping to get multiple developers aboard, instead of a single company, which had been the arrangement in the past.
The officials haven’t named publicly who’ve they’ve been talking to, but, at past meetings, John Guedes, of Primrose Companies, has expressed interest. His companies conceptual plans for the redevelopment zone are displayed in City Hall. Southern Realty and Development of Warwick, N.Y. is interested in Derby, too.
“There are various players that would like to go in various locations,” O’Malley said.
Staffieri pointed out that the developers aren’t ready to go tomorrow. Like the rest of the planet, the developers are waiting for the economy to improve, which gives Derby some breathing room with its downtown. No developers are saying they need something right now or they’ll drop out.
Complicated RFQs
Derby Corporation Counsel Joseph Coppola is now drafting “request for quotations:” detailed documents that would tell potential developers “here’s what we have and here’s what we’re looking for.”
However, drafting the documents aren’t easy, Coppola explained to agency members, because the redevelopment zone has many moving parts.
One moving part — the state’s plans for widening Route 34. Officials from the state Department of Transportation are supposed to be holding an information meeting on their plans in late January or early February, Staffieri said.
Another potential hurdle — the five private landowners inside the redevelopment zone, such as Carl Yacobacci, who wants a return on the investment he made purchasing property in Derby.
While the city has offered to relocate existing businesses to another spot in the redevelopment zone, Yacobacci expressed concerns about whether its a serious offer — and whether its economically viable.
Speak Your Mind
Regarding public input on the redevelopment zone, Bomba urged residents to start coming to Redevelopment Agency meetings, which are held the second Tuesday of each month.
There is a public comment session at the start of every meeting, Bomba pointed out — and the Agency also breaks its own meeting rules by allowing questions and answers at the meetings progress.
“This is a good information session — right here,” Bomba said.
There were seven people in the audience at Tuesday’s meeting — including three reporters.
