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Norwalk Mall Project Moves Forward With Signing Of Land Use Agreement

NORWALK, Conn. — A massive project that would bring 700,000 square feet of retail space to South Norwalk took another step toward construction with the singing of a land disposition agreement at City Hall on Wednesday morning.

Norwalk Mayor Rilling stands with a representative from the city and General Growth Properties Wednesday at the signing of the land disposition agreement for The SoNo Collection.

Norwalk Mayor Rilling stands with a representative from the city and General Growth Properties Wednesday at the signing of the land disposition agreement for The SoNo Collection.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky
The SoNo Collection project moved forward Wednesday with the signing of a land disposition agreement. A rendering of the project was on display at the ceremony.

The SoNo Collection project moved forward Wednesday with the signing of a land disposition agreement. A rendering of the project was on display at the ceremony.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky

“This is an exciting day for Norwalk,” Mayor Harry Rilling told a gathered crowd. “It’s going to result in tax revenues; it’s going to result in thousands of jobs for our community.”

The agreement, which was signed by officials at the meeting, is a legal document that spells out land use and business business terms agreed to by the City of Norwalk, Norwalk Redevelopment Agency and the project’s developer, General Growth Properties.

As part of the agreement, the developer agreed to pay the city $1,022,500 for “necessary easements” and $550,000 for the development of a circulator trolley system.

The project will be a single phase development, meaning the entire project will be built all at one time. Officials said this approach will take 30 months instead of a phased-in approach, which could take more than five years.

Construction is expected to support 1,900 construction jobs for 36 months. Once complete, the mall will create 2,500 permanent jobs in retail and hotel operations, each with an average salary of $41,000, according to officials.

The agreement also calls for $250,000 from the developer for a five-year career training program for local residents, developed in partnership with Norwalk Community College, officials said.

Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s will anchor the mall along with 80 to 100 smaller retailers. The mall will also house a 150-room boutique hotel and public realm space. The site is a long vacant 12-acre lot off West Avenue and Interstate 95 near the Maritime Aquarium.

Doug Adams General Growth Properties said the company anticipates that it will break ground on the project soon.

“We look forward to going through the rest of the process and getting into the ground this year,” Adams said at the signing. 

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