Election Day is approximately two months away, so I am eagerly anticipating the next big announcement about Downtown Redevelopment. It appears that no matter what political party is occupying the mayor’s office, the Downtown Redevelopment project only seems to gather momentum right around election time.
I’m sure this year promises to be no different.
Prior to the 2009 election, the current administration was working with Primrose Companies, a real estate developer from Bridgeport. In August of 2009, John Guedes, a representative of the Primrose Companies presented drawings to the Redevelopment Agency calling for a mix use of residential and retail establishments in the Redevelopment Zone.
One month later on September 8, 2009, and less than two months before the election, the current administration said they were going to organize a roundtable discussion with members of the public and the Primrose Companies about Downtown Redevelopment and said, “There’s so much going on we need not one expertise, but several experts.”
Well, less than one week after the election, the Valley Independent Sentinel reported the roundtable discussion was not likely to happen. The Redevelopment Agency stated, “[We] don’t foresee it happening. … We are ready to go, full steam ahead. We have developers interested in buying properties and building in Derby. You are going to see us move quickly now.”
Not only has nothing happened in downtown Derby since the 2009 election, there is yet another developer working on the project, the Eclipse Development Group from Irvine, CA, replacing the Primrose Companies.
When I ran for mayor in 2009, I confidently stated, “The Downtown Redevelopment project is too big to be done quickly and has been going on for far too many years for anyone to make any promises. The only promise I will make is to work hard for a plan Derby can be proud of.”
Two years later, I stand by those words.
After meeting with both city and state officials concerning the widening of Main Street, I understand construction on that particular project is not scheduled to begin until the end of 2012, at the earliest. Therefore, Downtown Redevelopment cannot begin until well after this date.
This widening of Main Street is welcomed and will be a beautiful addition to our downtown area when completed. Make no mistake about it, though, the current administration had little, if anything, to do with this project.
This widening of Route 34 as it runs through Main Street has been in the works by the State of Connecticut for many, many years. As a resident of Derby, I am very grateful to Rick Dunne of the Valley Council of Governments and the Connecticut Department of Transportation for undertaking this project that will only enhance our downtown.
So as Election Day draws near again, I’m anxiously awaiting the next big announcement from the current administration about Downtown Redevelopment.
The writer is running for Derby mayor as a Democrat.
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