Construction has begun on GGP’s SoNo Collection, a $525 million regional mall in Norwalk, Conn., that will bring 80 to 100 shops and restaurants to this southern Connecticut town. The project, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019, will be anchored by Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s, with an additional 417,000 square feet of retail and about 40,000 square feet of food-and-beverage tenants.
It is roughly 60 percent leased, the company says. The SoNo Collection will feature some 87,000 square feet of common area as well, including plazas, a rooftop garden, a sculpture garden, possibly a museum and education space, three interior courts and an enhanced West Avenue streetscape.
A ceremonial ground-breaking was held Aug. 16 at the site, which sits just off the heavily traveled Interstate 95 and is a 10-minute walk from the heart of the South Norwalk section of town (whence the SoNo name derives). Among those present at the ceremony were Norwalk Mayor Harry W. Rilling and Deputy Commissioner Tim Sullivan, of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, along with GGP Chief Executive Sandeep Mathrani.
“The construction of the mall is going to have significant economic impact for the area,” said Timothy T. Sheehan, executive director of the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency. And company and town officials say that the SoNo project promises to generate some $23.3 million in retail sales taxes each year, in addition to creating about 2,500 jobs in the final analysis. Meanwhile, it is already providing some 2,000 construction jobs.
Norwalk, with a population of about 88,000, lies in southern Fairfield County, which is dubbed Connecticut’s Gold Coast for its string of prosperous towns along the Long Island Sound. The area is about an hour’s train ride north of New York City. “It’s located in the center of Fairfield County, adjacent to I-95, one of the busiest roads in America, connected directly to the downtown,” said Doug Adams, senior director of development for GGP. “When taken together, this creates a true destination.” The mall will draw shoppers from a 10- or 15-mile radius, and this means that residents will no longer have to leave town to do their shopping, says Adams. The mall will also be a benefit to existing retailers and restaurants by bringing more people to the area, observes say. “It’s bringing in a lot of retail traffic into the area that otherwise wouldn’t be coming to Norwalk,” said Sheehan.
The SoNo Collection will use a modern design that makes reference to the city’s architecture, but does not try to imitate it, according to Adams. The design will make heavy use of glass to create a project that is open and transparent to the surrounding neighborhood.
“This is a unique opportunity,” Adams said. “[New malls] don’t come along very often these days.”
Ready, set, go The GGP development team breaks ground on SoNo Collection, in Norwalk, Conn.
By Edmund Mander
Director, Editor-In-Chief/SCT
