What’s this, an oversight committee and public hearing proposed to review the latest Seligson proposal before it gets to the Common Council? From the Hour:
A draft master development agreement spelling out financing and other aspects of Waypointe — local developer Stanley M. Seligson’s plan to revitalize West Avenue — will be released in May and “vetted” by an advisory committee, according to Mayor Richard A. Moccia.
During a press conference at City Hall Thursday afternoon, Moccia outlined his intent to make the draft development agreement available to the public and form a five-member review body to review the document.
“Third-party review is essential considering that this is such a complicated and such a complex document,” Moccia said. “Obviously, the council is going to have to vote on this. But I want to have as much as this in a clear and concise form as possible, and as many questions answered as possible, before it gets to the council.”
Stanley M. Seligson Properties, based at 605 West Ave., is the city’s selected developer for the West Avenue neighborhood. Seligson has dubbed his mixed-use development Waypointe, a reference to its location between uptown and downtown Norwalk, as well as between Boston and New York City.
The approved conceptual site plan for Waypointe calls for filling out the 19.8-acre area bounded by West Avenue, and Chapel and Academy streets with 350 new residential units, 75,000 square feet of office space and 393,174 square feet of new retail space in the core area.
According to Moccia, the city’s negotiating team, which includes attorneys from Robinson & Cole LLP, has informed him the draft agreement is anticipated to be completed in May. At that point, the document will be placed upon the city’s Web site, and hard copies will be made available at public locations.Moccia said he will name a five-member advisory committee comprising business professionals with experience in real estate development, commercial financing and contractual law, to review the draft agreement and advise him “on the appropriateness of advancing the document in its current form to the Common Council or sending it back to the negotiating team for revision of full reconsideration.”
The mayor expressed confidence that such review can be completed within 60 days. He said he will require that one advisory committee sessions allow for public comment and that all meetings be held in public.
“I think the review is necessary, considering the uniqueness of the proposed financing structure and its implications to the city,” Moccia said.
Seligson Properties estimates that infrastructure improvements related to Waypointe will run $134 million to $150 million, and has asked the city to issue $104 million in municipal bonds to pay for roadwork, streetscaping, parking garages and other infrastructure work.
Now maybe we’ll see some of the information resources posted to the city web site like they did for Blue Back Square in West Hartford. Take a look here, West Hartford Blue Back Square.
There’s lots of interesting detail there to see, and we get the luxury of hindsight since the project has been completed. One of the interesting political junkie tid bits about this project, that likely only interests me, is that West Hartford, annually has one of the best voter turn out records in the state. They hover near the 70% turn out. So this town’s residents are engaged and active. They also are home to a great Vietnamese restaurant too.
We get the government we participate in, so seeing how West Hartford got a great project should be inspiration to how we can do things here in Norwalk. Needless to point out, but having this committee and hearing is the right way to approach this project, and this is day two of good governance coming from City Hall.
source: The Hour, Waypointe draft agreement in the works, April 4, 2008
