March 23, 2017

CT Construction Digest Thursday March 23, 2107

GGP owes Norwalk $1.6M as officials await SoNo Collection groundbreaking

NORWALK — The SoNo Collection developer General Growth Properties owes the city nearly $1.6 million and may seek changes to its approved development agreement.
GGP representatives met with city and Norwalk Redevelopment Agency officials behind closed doors at City Hall on Monday afternoon.
Mayor Harry W. Rilling confirmed Wednesday the meeting concerned the roughly million-square-foot upscale regional shopping center, which received its approvals last year, but has yet to go into the ground.
“We’re in discussions right now so it’s not in my place to discuss what is on the table right now,” Rilling said. But “the project is going to move forward. We’re just looking at some of the components and so forth.”
GGP officials could not be reached immediately for comment on the status of The SoNo Collection.
A document obtained by The Hour suggests the Chicago-based mall developer may seek modifications to the Land Disposition Agreement, a tri-party pact between itself, the city and the Redevelopment Agency.
The document lays out a “Proposed Timeline for Revisions to Land Disposition Agreement, Conceptual Master Site Plan, Urban Renewal Plan and Zoning Approvals.”
While not identifying The SoNo Collection, the document states that “all payments currently due under the LDA must be paid by the Developer” prior to the city, or any of its agencies or commissions, accepting requests for modifications to the LDA, plans and approvals. The proposed timeline runs March 20 through July 7.  Under the existing LDA, Norwalk Land Development, LLC — the GGP affiliate responsible for building The SoNo Collection — must pay the city $1,022,500 for easements needed to build the mall and $550,000 toward creation of a community circulator bus to serve the mall.
The easement payment is due within 30 days of GGP receiving all final land-use approvals from the city. The circulator payment is due upon receipt of the final land-use approval, according to the LDA.
The Norwalk Zoning Commission last June approved GGP’s site plan for The SoNo Collection. Last November, the commission approved the signage plan for the mall.
Councilman Douglas E. Hempstead, an at-large Republican, said the clock for the two payments started ticking before the signage approval in November.
“The signage approval doesn’t count as a land-use approval,” Hempstead said. “The fact is they haven’t paid the city the money they owe.”
Rilling said GGP has made neither payment but is committed to doing so. He attributed the delay to the circumstances in the company’s Chicago headquarters. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE