SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?
A new residential village next to the pond...with the removal of buildings not suitable for renovation, the former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill site is considerably more open. Now visible to visitors is the waterfall, which is expected to be a focal point. (Maggie Caldwell photo)

G I L B E R T   &   B E N N E T T   S I T E
Georgetown Land Development Project:
A lesson in what development looks like when there is water and sewer service available!  Upper section site plan (left) above...click here for a 2006 report in the Redding PILOT.



Photo at left by Thomas Nash
Former G&B sale: The deal is off
Weston FORUM
Written by Susan Wolf
Thursday, 15 July 2010 00:00

Georgetown Land Development Company announced last week it no longer has a contract to sell its Georgetown development site to Georgetown Green, LLC.

In February, Callen Cooper, CEO of Georgetown Green, had announced an agreement with GLDC to purchase the former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill site off Route 107. The agreement anticipated a June closing.

“This is a disappointing development,” said Redding First Selectman Natalie Ketcham.

“While we are disappointed it did not work out with Georgetown Green, we are committed to this project and the community,” said Rocco Trotta, who will remain as the managing member of GLDC, overseeing the operations of the company.

“It is in everyone’s best interests for this project to be built. It is a win-win for the state, the town of Redding and Georgetown. We will continue to work diligently to bring the Master Plan approved to life,” Mr. Trotta said in a press release.

The release said the company plans to move forward on multiple fronts.

This includes assisting Redding and the state Department of Transportation with the intersection improvements to Route 107 and North Main Street, the proposed gateway to the project, and to Routes 107 and 57.

The state is paying for these improvements for the benefit of Redding’s Georgetown Streetscape project for Main Street and Old Mill Road. The improvements benefit the Georgetown redevelopment project as well.

GLDC is in the early process of looking for alternate buyers and/or investors for the project’s development in accordance with the Master Plan already approved for the 55-acre parcel by the town’s Zoning Commission.

“We will sell off the project as parcels or as one piece,” said Chris Lynch, GLDC’s spokesperson. He said the company’s plan from the start was to sell the project once the required approvals were in place.

“The idea was never to develop this ourselves,” he said.

“GLDC is optimistic about the efforts to recapitalize the project and expects that implementation of the approved Master Plan will commence as soon as market conditions allow,” the company’s release said.

Mr. Lynch said on-site infrastructure work is included in the proviso that market conditions are a key factor for the plan to move forward.

“Once the markets improve, we will move this project onto completion,” Mr. Trotta said.

Tax liens

Redding sold tax liens on the former mill property to Georgetown Land Development Company in June 2002 and, by 2004, a Master Plan special permit for the project was approved by the Zoning Commission. The Master Plan details the redevelopment of the site.

Plans call for a mixed use of residential, commercial and retail development in a pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented village. Included in the plan is 40 units of affordable housing for seniors, a new train station, and a community theater.

The state and local approvals are now in place for the project. Over the last few years, structurally unsound buildings have been demolished and the Norwalk River, which had been covered by buildings on the site, has been daylighted.

A brownfield, the environmental remediation plan for the site, has been approved. A Georgetown Special Taxing District is in place specifically for the site and the Georgetown sewer plant has been expanded to accommodate the development planned for the site. GLDC said it would pay for the cost of the expansion and its share of the bill through monthly delta payments.

“Presently, the taxing district does not have the funding to meet its financial obligations to the Water Polution Control Commission. As soon as that funding is available, arrangements will be made for prompt payment,” said Mr. Lynch.

With the advent of the country’s financial crisis in 2008, capitalizing the project became an issue. That, combined with the delay in state approvals, stalled the project, but the intersection work has since been funded and put out to bid.

Work is expected to start next year.

At Gilbert & Bennett site: Projects taking shape, but awaiting state action
Weston FORUM
Written by Susan Wolf
Thursday, 06 August 2009 00:00

It might look quiet at the former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill site, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t happening.

The wire mill site off Route 107 is home to Georgetown Land Development Co.’s redevelopment project, stalled by the state and by the economy. Plans call for a pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented development of mixed uses, including residential and commercial, along with a new railroad station and parking garage.

A master plan concept for the property was approved by the Redding Zoning Commission in 2004. The project must abide by this concept unless the commission approves changes.

The company is now seeking subdivision and site plan approvals for three parcels on the property. Because it’s in the Redding section of Georgetown — an area composed of parts of Redding, Weston, Wilton, and Ridgefield — the Redding Zoning Commission has jurisdiction over site plan approvals, the Redding Planning Commission over subdivision approvals. No Conservation Commission approvals are required — this commission has already indicated there is nothing in the proposal that affects wetlands or watercourses or any licenses the company has from it on the property.

If the most recent requests are approved, the company will be allowed to convey the parcels to third parties to develop, “so it generates much-needed cash for the development company,” said Stephen Soler, Georgetown Land Development Co. (GLDC) president.

Mr. Soler said as the buildings are phased in, so would the infrastructure for the site.

Affordable housing

One of the three subdivision and site approval requests from Mr. Soler’s company is for the affordable housing site. The proposed subdivision of the land for the housing is needed before it can be conveyed to the nonprofit Georgetown Redevelopment Corp.

GLDC created this corporation, which has an independent board of directors, including representation from the Redding Commission on Aging, to sponsor the affordable housing.

Plans call for 40 units of subsidized senior housing and 15 units of affordable artists lofts to be built along Portland Avenue within the site. The housing would be called Georgetown Village Apartments.

Approval of the subdivision and site plan means this project can move forward subject to tax credit approval from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, Mr. Soler said.

The project would be built by a local builder using federal tax credits. The housing project has, so far, received a $2-million grant from the state Department of Economic and Commercial Development.

GLDC’s second request is to subdivide the building that now houses National Park Service offices for Weir Farm National Historic Site. The park service wants to buy and occupy only half of the building, Mr. Soler said.

There is a common wall between the 1850 and 1880 portion of the building, so the subdivision line would be there.

The park service already has legislation that approves its acquisition of this part of the building, Mr. Soler said.
Restaurant

The third request is to subdivide a small building, known as the Rod Shed Storage Building, at the end of the Weaving Building. It’s a small, red brick building, about 4,000 square feet in size.

It was designed to be a restaurant, “and that’s what it would become,” said Mr. Soler, adding the prospective buyer is Adam Lubarsky, former owner of the Georgetown Saloon. A detailed plan for the restaurant is already in place.

Mr. Soler said in this case, there are a bunch of properties on the same parcel. “We’re making them into fee simple lots, which means each parcel will have its own deed, so people can buy and sell without a condo association,” he said.

“For us to move forward on these parcels,” Mr. Soler said, “we need to get State Traffic Commission (STC) issues resolved.”

This commission has a request from GLDC to accept a phasing-in plan of required intersection improvements to allow the company to develop portions of its property now. This would essentially reduce the considerable bond amount the STC is requiring of GLDC for all of the improvements.

GLDC has asked that it be allowed to improve the intersections of North Main Street with Route 107 and North Main Street and Route 57 now. These improvements would cost some $1.5 million.

The company has also asked for the delay of improvements to the intersection of routes 7 and 107 to a later date. The improvement planned at Route 7 and North Main Street near Bruce Bennett Nissan would take place once the company is reimbursed by the state for the improvements it made to the railroad crossing near this intersection. The reimbursement would provide the money for this work.
Funding source

The money for the two proposed intersection improvements is expected to come from the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials (HVCEO), the regional planning agency. Redding is a member.

The council has already approved the authorization of $850,000 for the intersection work. It is possible the amount will be more.

Redding First Selectman Natalie Ketcham said the state DOT has identified more than $2 million (including the $850,000) that can be made accessible to the council. The question, she said, is how much the council can afford to repay.

The council would get the money, in part, from money it loaned to the South Western Regional Planning Agency (SWRPA), to which Weston belongs. Each year, planning regions in the state get federal highway dollars. If one region has no project that is eligible for the dollars, it “lends” them to another region that does. Eventually, the borrower pays back the money through its federal funding in future years.  SWRPA owes HVCEO $1.5 million, said Ms. Ketcham, but there is a question as to how much it can afford to pay back this year.

Another issue, Mr. Soler said, is that the money won’t be available until it’s put on the council’s transportation improvement plan and the state’s transportation improvement plan. It also has to go to a project that is approved for federal funds. His company has this approval, Mr. Soler said.

“So the money is there,” said Mr. Soler. “Now it’s just a matter of getting the STC to allow the phasing-in so we can pull building permits to get the project going.”

“Come September,” said Mr. Soler, “if everything hits, we’re going — and, if not, we’re stuck.”

Being prepared

The consensus, he said, is that the financial market will get better over the next six months. “We want the project to be positioned for it,” he said.

Even if the roads and the infrastructure are in place, he said, it would still take 18 months to build a building. He looks to spring 2011 before the building would be occupied.

“We have to plan to make our way through this,” said Mr. Soler.

Although there is interest in parcels at the site, prospective buyers want the STC issue resolved before moving ahead, he added.

TIF

Mr. Soler also said when his company sells to third parties, it increases the value of these parcels for local tax purposes, creating new tax revenue for the town. The increase in tax revenue is the basis for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) should the company decide to pursue it, said Mr. Soler.

Under the TIF, the Connecticut Development Authority would reimburse GLDC for infrastructure work, estimated to cost $3.5 million. The town would negotiate an agreement with the state and GLDC to allow it to help pay back that loan through portions of the anticipated increase in tax revenues on the commercial properties only, as the project moves forward.

As for the train platform, Mr. Soler said the state has made a commitment of $3.5 million to fund it.

However, State Bonding Commission approval is needed, and the commission won’t meet until the state budget is balanced. The money for the railroad crossing work is also awaiting bond commission approval.

In the Region | Connecticut
7 Years In, Renewal Plan Languishes
NYTIMES
By LISA PREVOST
June 21, 2009

REDDING

AFTER seven years’ work on a redevelopment plan that attracted enthusiastic support from residents of this affluent town, the developer, Stephen Soler, is so depleted by state bureaucratic delays that he is ready to walk away.

“We have been looking for a buyer to take the whole thing — let’s leave it at that,” said Mr. Soler, the principal of the Georgetown Land Development Company. “This has been an extremely, extremely expensive exercise.”

Mr. Soler’s $300 million plan to build a transit-oriented village on the site of the Gilbert & Bennett wire mill had promised to fill the hole left in Redding’s commercial tax base after the factory shut down in 1989. In a corner of Redding known as Georgetown, the factory was the only industrial development in a town characterized by two-acre zoning and a great deal of open space.

A master plan approved for the 55-acre site in 2004 allowed for more than 400 housing units, as well as more shops, restaurants and offices, a performing arts center and a new train station. The focus was on preserving the mill’s rich historical legacy within a densely developed village environment that minimized the need for cars and maximized energy efficiency.

Although Mr. Soler has proceeded with some demolition, environmental cleanup and a new wastewater treatment facility, most of his vision exists only on paper. The fault lies primarily with the state, he says, for delaying him right into a recession.

With the credit markets so tight, “the biggest problem now is the ability to get financing to do the infrastructure,” he said.

The delays also figured in the loss of a $50 million contract with TCR Northeast Land Acquisition for the housing development rights to the project. TCR, an affiliate of Trammell Crow Residential of Dallas, had agreed to buy six parcels intended for town houses and lofts, once all necessary permits and approvals were in place. It terminated that agreement in July.

Joseph S. Torg Jr., a senior managing director for TCR’s northeast office, ascribed the decision to several factors, including the near-collapse last year of A.I.G., the international insurance company, which had been TCR’s equity source in the deal.

Mr. Torg said that it was also unclear when Georgetown Land was “going to be able to get its permits and its approvals.” He added, “We and A.I.G. just decided not to keep going.”

TCR is now suing Georgetown Land for the return of its $1.5 million deposit, and is pursuing foreclosure on a small parcel mortgaged on the site as collateral.

The mill project’s reduced circumstances are a deep disappointment to Redding officials, who have been supportive of Mr. Soler’s efforts since he acquired the property in 2002. They worked with him to secure legislative approval to set up a special taxing district exclusive to the site, with its own authority to float bonds to pay for infrastructure improvements.

His company had also gained favor with development-wary residents by seeking input from them at brainstorming sessions led by Andrés Duany, a principal in Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company of Miami, which specializes in new-community design.

“Stephen Soler has crossed a very large number of hurdles and has met every condition that the town had set when it first worked with him to acquire the property,” said Robert B. Dean, the vice chairman of Redding’s planning commission.

Mr. Soler’s relationship with the state, however, has been contentious. Before he can begin building, he must obtain approval from the State Traffic Commission, which requires that large projects come up with a mutually acceptable plan for remedying impacts on state roadways.

His plan was approved in 2006, but the panel hasn’t issued the certificate he needs to proceed. The reason, said Kevin Nursick, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation, is that the developer has yet to post the $10 million bond required by the state to ensure that the work is done. The panel agreed to break the bond requirement into portions, Mr. Nursick said. But Mr. Soler has said since last year that, given credit market conditions, his company can no longer issue bonds at a reasonable rate.

Mr. Soler had always planned to sell the development rights to the property after the infrastructure was in place. If he sells it before then, Redding officials worry that the site may attract a more conventional and less community-friendly developer.

They are especially worried that a developer may use the state’s affordable-housing appeals law to circumvent local zoning and fill the entire site with high-density housing.

The law grants developers higher-density allowances if they reserve a certain portion of the housing for low- to moderate-income residents, and makes the rejection of such projects more difficult for towns in which less than 10 percent of the housing units qualify as affordable. Redding is “a sitting duck” in that regard, Mr. Dean said, as it has no affordable housing at all.

The mill project does include 40 units of affordable housing, as well as lower-priced artists’ lofts. But what Mr. Dean fears is a “gigantic housing-dominated project” that does not enhance Georgetown’s small commercial center and “becomes a drain rather than a help.”

Officials are aggressively working with Mr. Soler to secure public financing for the infrastructure improvements that would support the existing plan and perhaps entice investors.

Residents recently agreed to a $3.5 million loan through the Tax Increment Financing program sponsored by the Connecticut Development Authority to help pay for improvements to North Main Street, the mill complex’s main route. The loan would be repaid through the anticipated increase in tax revenues after the project was complete.

The town’s first selectwoman, Natalie Ketcham, said officials were also pursuing several options to cover the cost of improvements to Route 107, and had secured a commitment from the state to pay for the new train station. For now, she said, “I am optimistic that we can pull together the necessary funds to get the project moving.”

Congressional OK sought for expansion of historic site
Norwalk HOUR
September 12, 2007

The Weir Farm National Historic Site is seeking congressional authority to expand its territory beyond Wilton and Ridgefield.

At a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing Tuesday, National Park Service deputy director Daniel N. Wenk testified that the Department of the Interior will support legislation that would help the historic site to acquire new facilities at no extra cost.

"We believe that we can exchange land, save money," Wenk said during the hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks.

The legislation, an amendment to the 1990 Weir Farm National Historic Site Establishment Act, was proposed in March by Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4.

In April, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., proposed a similar amendment, which Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., is now cosponsoring. The bill would "expand the National Park Service's authority so that it can consider the acquisition of property in all of Fairfield County," Wenk testified.
Under current law, Weir Farm has been able to look at acquisition in only Ridgefield and Wilton, where it already holds land. The Park Service also is required to come to an agreement with these towns before any building is to be done.

The amendment would allow Weir Farm to exchange up to nine acres of land in Ridgefield for 12,000 square feet of the Georgetown Wire Mill in Redding, reducing the farm's construction, operating and maintenance costs. The historic site has been leasing 5,000 square feet of the mill property.

Park officials said that rising costs and concerns about building in residential areas led to the need for the amendment.

"This is not about expansion," Linda Cook, the Park Service's superintendent for Weir Farm, said in a telephone interview. "We want to be able to think broadly, to look beyond a mile outside of the park boundaries."

Weir Farm was established as a national historic site in October, 1990. One of two National Parks that deal chiefly with visual art and artistic expression, the area was once the land of J. Alden Weir, one of the main players in cultivating the American impressionist movement.

The site works to preserve and maintain the landscape as it was in the late 1800s, and to offer other artistic and educational opportunities.

"I am proud to be a co-sponsor of the Weir Farm National Historic Site Amendment Act," Dodd said in a statement Tuesday. "Finding a long-anticipated permanent home for this facility will save taxpayers money and help to ensure the preservation of Weir Farm, an important part of the culture and history of Connecticut."


Former Gilbert & Bennett site: Owners seek environmental designation
by SUSAN WOLF, Hersam Acorn Newspapers
May 26, 2007

Just as the redevelopment of the former Gilbert & Bennett site in Georgetown is moving toward infrastructure work, its owners are hoping to get an environmental LEED development designation for their redevelopment project.

Stephen Soler, Georgetown Land Development Company president, the redeveloper of the former manufacturing site, said his project is among 360 applications for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) pilot program. If approved, he said, his project would be designated a Gold LEED development, and the designation would apply to the entire development.

The LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building into the first national standard for neighborhood design, according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Web site.

“LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a development’s location and design meet accepted high standards for environmentally responsible, sustainable, development,” the council says.

The designation “is based on the way a project is planned and laid out in the community,” Mr. Soler said. Among the pluses for the Gilbert & Bennett site redevelopment, he said, are the daylighting of the Norwalk River, which runs through the site, a walkable community, the creation of more open space than existed, the recycling of material on the site, brownfield remediation, and the planned new railroad station.

Mr. Soler is optimistic about his development getting the designation later this month.

The plan

Planned for the more than 50-acre site is a pedestrian-friendly village. The residential component of the company’s plan calls for a total of 416 units of housing, including loft units, townhouses, single-family homes, affordable units for artists, apartments over retail buildings, and 40 units of subsidized housing for senior citizens.

A community theater and a satellite for the Wilton Family Y are included in the plans, as well as a new railroad station and retail and commercial businesses. Included are plans for four restaurants, with at least three having river views.

Recently, Norwalk Hospital announced its expansion of services, including 30,000 to 50,000 square feet of space at the site. The space would be used to provide urgent care services and other clinical services such as laboratory, radiology and offices for primary care physicians and specialists.

Since December, building demolitions have been ongoing. To date, about one-half million square feet of space has been removed. What will remain are historic industrial buildings that can be renovated for other purposes, for both residential and commercial uses.

“We have taken these buildings down so we can go vertical,” said Mr. Soler. He explained that to do this, roads — 12 new roads are planned — and other infrastructure must be built at the site.

Next step

The next step, he said, is to have the geotechnical work done so a remedial plan can be prepared for doing the road work. Borings will be done and then, based on soil conditions, “clean corridors” will be mapped out, Mr. Soler said. The plan will determine “what to pull out and how to manage it,” he added.

In some areas of the brownfield site, contaminated soils will be removed and replaced with new fill; in others, liners will be placed and then covered with fill. Mr. Soler called this a “combination remediation plan,” and one that is being done in conjunction with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Once the geotechnical and design work is completed for the first phase of work, that work will be put out to bid — by the end of the month, Mr. Soler said.  This phase includes the reconstruction of North Main Street and the construction of the new Station Place, along with the burying of utilities.  It also includes the construction of the new hospital building, said Mr. Soler, who added he expects work on this building to begin by the end of the year.

Construction for the infrastructure phase is slated to begin this summer.  Intersection work is already out to bid with bids expected to come in this week. This work must be done in conjunction with the first phase, Mr. Soler said.

There will be intersection improvements at Route 107 and North Main Street, and Route 7 and North Main Street, including new traffic signals; Routes 107 and 57, where another traffic signal is planned; and Routes 107 and 7 where lights already exist.

Commercial

The first building to be renovated for commercial use, said Mr. Soler recently, will “probably” be the “Sawtooth Building,” which is named for its roofline. This building is by the river.  After discussion with the tenants, yet to be announced, design work will begin, with final design slated for July. Renovation work is anticipated to begin in September.

The next building targeted for renovation is one near the waterfall. It, too, is slated for commercial use. The design work for this building is targeted to start in April with the final design approved in June.  Like the Sawtooth building, plans will go to Redding’s building office for approval. Mr. Soler expects work on this building to start by the end of September.

Affordable units

By the end of January 2008, Mr. Soler expects to break ground for the 55 affordable housing units in the plan. These include the 40 units of senior housing and 15 subsidized units for artists.

Mr. Soler’s company is developing the commercial portion of the project. The bulk of the residential work will be handled by another company or companies, but this portion of the project must also adhere to the design standards in the master plan already approved by the Redding Zoning Commission.

The Georgetown Special Taxing District, which only applies to the redevelopment site, will serve as the regulating body to ensure adherence to the design code.
From the BUSINESS section of Stamford ADVOCATE:

Greenwich developer wins funds for project
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Richard Lee, Assistant Business Editor
Published February 18 2006

The U.S. Treasury Department has approved $72 million in special tax-exempt bonds for the reconstruction of Greenwich developer Stephen Soler's abandoned mill in Redding.  The Treasury Department designated the Georgetown Special Taxing District as a "qualified green building and sustainable design project."

The tax-exempt bonds are part of a $300 million financing package for Soler's conversion of the former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill into a village-like complex with 416 residences, including 32 single-family homes. Also planned are offices, stores and restaurants.

Soler estimated that the tax exemption will save $7 million over the 30-year life of the debt.

The funding can be used to purchase, construct or integrate renewable energy and sustainable design features of the project or perform environmental remediation on the 60-acre site.  Soler predicted that he would have all the necessary government approvals by mid-March, and said he was pleased that it has taken only three years to reach this point since the project was conceived,

"I'm particularly proud of this 'green bonds' designation because it confirms our commitment to the community and the environment and gives us the resources we need to implement the best available green technology," Soler said.  Soler said the renovation will use energy technology that is expected to reduce the projects demand on the power grid by 6 megawatts over conventional technology.

Applicants for the special tax-exempt bonds had to demonstrate the energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable design features of their projects.  The project on the former brownfield site is expected to provide permanent jobs for at least 1,500 people. Plans also call for a Metro-North Railroad station on the Danbury line.

Ground breaking is scheduled for next month, and the first units are expected to be occupied in 2007. The complete build-out is planned for 2009.

The state's congressional delegation, including Democratic U.S. Sens. Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman and U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R- Bridgeport, helped Soler deal with federal agencies.

When completed, the project will enhance the small-town feel of Redding, Lieberman said. "Commerce, culture and community, in concert with conservation, will be all within walking distance," he said.

Improving communities, creating jobs and protecting the environment are not mutually exclusive goals, as exemplified by the tax-exempt bonding, Dodd said.

"The Treasury Department's designation of this site as a qualified green building and sustainable design project is a testament to the strict environmentally friendly design of this project," Shays said.

Georgetown Special Taxing District: 'Green Bond' designation one of only four in country
Redding PILOT
By SUSAN WOLF
Feb 2, 2006
The Georgetown Special Taxing District has received a special tax-exempt bond designation from the U.S. Treasury. This will allow the district to issue more than $72 million in qualified “green” building and sustainable design project bonds.

The taxing district will oversee the redevelopment of the former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill site in Georgetown, which is owned by Georgetown Land Development Company (GLDC). Special state legislation was passed last year allowing for the creation of the district, which was established last September. The company wants to use this  special tax district as a financial mechanism for the redevelopment of its property, a brownfield site. GLDC is working with state and federal environmental agencies to clean up the former factory site.

The bonds will provide tax-exempt financing for the Gilbert & Bennett wire mill redevelopment and the Georgetown business district. Stephen Soler, GLDC president, said 10%, or about $7 million, of the allocation is eligible for the development of Main Street and Old Mill Road, where the town has a streetscape enhancement program in the works. Mr. Soler said he wants to help encourage development in this area and to encourage green development.

The financing may be used “to purchase, construct or integrate renewable energy and sustainable design features of the project; comply with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards; or remediate the site,” according to the release.

“This designation recognizes the importance of renewable clean-energy technologies and green building practices, and supports development that creates jobs while protecting the environment,” said Mr. Soler, who is also president of the Georgetown Special Taxing District.

“I’m particularly proud of this Green Bonds designation because it confirms our commitment to the community and the environment, and gives us the resources we need to implement the best available green technology,” he said in a prepared release.

To qualify for the bond designation, the taxing district had to demonstrate that its green building and sustainable design project could meet a number of criteria. Among them is that 75% of the square footage of commercial buildings is registered for LEED certification; the project must include a brownfield site; and it must demonstrate it can create 1,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs. The bonds may not be used for any facility that sells food or alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises as its principal business.

The LEED Green Building Rating System® “is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings,” according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Web site.

The EPA’s Web site says green or sustainable building “is the practice of creating healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and demolition ...”

Among the “green proposals” for the former wire mill site are functional green technology, including photovoltaics and green roofs and a hydroelectric dam and power plant using the existing infrastructure for power.

The Georgetown Special Taxing District applied for $125 million through the “Green Bonds” program, seeking a piece of the $2 billion available. The district is one of four projects in the country out of six applicants to receive the designation as a qualified green building and design project. The designation was called for as part of the American Jobs Creation Act.

The tax district is the first in the country to receive the Green Bonds designation, Mr. Soler said.

With the bond designation in hand, Mr. Soler said the taxing district may now hire an underwriter for the bonds. Then the bonds may be sold.

Mr. Soler said the designation exempts the taxing district from the state’s volume cap for bonding. Because of this exemption, the taxing district does not have to go to the State Bonding Commission to issue bonds, he said.

The Green Bonds application was sponsored by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, the state Office of Policy Management, and the Georgetown Special Taxing District. Support has come from U.S. Congressman Christopher Shays (D-4th) and Connecticut’s U.S. Senators Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman.
$72M grant for 'green' mill redevelopment
By ANNA GUSTAFSON, Hour Staff Writer
January 27, 2006

WILTON — Georgetown's Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill redevelopment project is well on its way to providing at least 1,500 new jobs just over the Wilton border with a $72 million federal government handout.

The special tax-exempt bond designation from the U.S. Treasury Department allows the Georgetown Special Taxing District, which is overseeing the project, to issue more than $72 million in qualified green building and sustainable design project bonds.

Now able to issue the bonds, Steven Soler, the president of the Georgetown Land Development Company, or GLDC, who owns the mill, said construction of the environmentally savvy development will begin in March.The project will turn the 60-plus acres that made up the mill into "the antidote to suburban sprawl," according to Redding's First Selectman Natalie Ketcham.

There will be 416 residential units; 109,771 square feet of retail and restaurant use; 113,525 square feet of office space; 88,488 square feet of civic use; 38,428 square feet of light industrial use and 18,258 square feet of hospitality use.  Hailed as a model around the state for redevelopment due to its environmental and pedestrian friendly policies, the project is one of four nationwide to receive the green bond. The 2004 Jobs Creation Act allocated a total of $2 billion for sustainable development projects.

"This will go a long way to building out the commercial side of the project," Soler said.  Originally, the GLDC applied for $125 million from the treasury department, but cut back once they received more private and federal grants than expected.

"We were able to identify other sources of funds," Soler said. "We have the U.S. Department of Agriculture working with us on financing the sewer plant, for example."

The GLDC was able to access the $72 million due to state legislation passed last summer that allowed Soler to create the Georgetown Special Taxing District in September. If there was no tax district, the GLDC would never have been able to get such a large fund allocation from the federal government.

Soler said the bonds will help to purchase and integrate renewable energy and sustainable design features of the project.

"We intend to make all the buildings energy efficient," Soler said. " ... All of the elements of the project will go a long way towards meeting some of the state's goals to try and wean the state off of traditional sources of energy."

This project is the wave of the future for development Soler said, and towns like Wilton will be far and few between.

"You'll find a trend towards density. People like to live in a village environment where they can walk to their destinations," Soler said. "We'll trend away from the classic suburban subdivision. When you have more density, you provide for a better overall environmental balance." 

Breaking News...
At Gilbert & Bennett site:  Traffic plan is approved
Stage is set for development
by SUSAN WOLF, pilot@acorn-online.com
Sep 28, 2006

A major hurdle has been crossed for the redevelopment of the former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill site in Georgetown.

State Traffic Commission approval is now in place; once the requirements are met, the developer can get his traffic generator certificate from the commission and begin “to pull building permits in town.” That means, said Stephen Soler, president of the Georgetown Land Development Company (GLDC), the redeveloper, that his company may sell or finance property. “We need this to develop.”

GLDC owns the 55-acre wire mill site off Route 107. The residential component of the plan calls for a total of 416 units of housing, with 249 loft units, 69 townhouses, 32 single-family homes, 15 affordable units for artists, 11 apartments over retail buildings, and 40 units of subsidized housing for senior citizens. A community theater and a satellite for the Wilton Family Y are included in the plans, as well as a new railroad station and retail and commercial businesses. The end result will be a pedestrian-friendly village at the site.

On Aug. 12, the State Traffic Commission approved the company’s traffic proposals with some conditions. The company subsequently appealed three of them, said Mr. Soler on Monday.  The traffic commission wanted the company to post a $10.4 million bond to cover the work it proposed. “Because we are not road contractors, this meant we would have to put $10.4 million in a bank account,” said Mr. Soler.

“We contested this,” he added, “because not all of the improvements will be done by Georgetown Land Development Company.”

The traffic commission wanted the bonding to cover the new train station and the parking garage that will accompany it, the relocated rail crossing on North Main Street and other off-site improvements, including work at several intersections. North Main Street runs through the land the company owns. A portion is being relocated, along with the railroad crossing, to accommodate the project.

Train station

In its appeal, GLDC asked that the cash bonding for the train station be dropped and instead assigned to the Georgetown Special Taxing District. The district was established by the company as a financing tool to help build core infrastructure and to maintain the infrastructure over the long term. The district will also serve as the regulating body to ensure the community adheres to the design code adopted as part of the project’s master plan approval.

The tax district is building the new train station (which is not expected to replace the Branchville railroad station) and the parking garage that goes with it. There have to be 300 parking spaces in the garage dedicated to the train station, said Mr. Soler, but he said that most likely the garage will be built to accommodate 600 spaces. The rest of the spaces would be used for the development, he said, including the Wilton Family Y satellite that will be built at the site.

The state requires that his company bond the platform for the train because it is in the state right-of-way, said Mr. Soler. The amount to be bonded would be determined by the bids on the project, said Mr. Soler. He added that his company asked for, and received, approval from the traffic commission for the transferability for the contractor to put up the bond. That means the bond requirement may be transferred to the contractor or the taxing district.

The company expects to bond $3.4 million for the intersection improvements. However, once the bids are adopted for this work, the bond amount would reflect them, according to the agreement reached with the traffic commission.

Changes

Because of State Traffic Commission requirements, the rail crossing in the northwest portion of the site had to be shifted farther north, the affordable housing location has been changed, and a portion of the work planned on Portland Avenue has been shifted. Mr. Soler said because of the commission’s required changes to Portland Avenue at its intersection with North Main Street, the road has shifted there, but no widening of Portland Avenue is necessary.

One commission edict called for moving the rail crossing, located in the northwest corner of the property, farther north. This move left two single-family detached residences with curbs too close to the tracks. To eliminate this problem, GLDC plans to eliminate the two single-family detached homes and replace them with two townhouses, which would be joined as one building, allowing for a common driveway.

The commission’s requirements “killed a hotel or bed and breakfast” on the site, said Mr. Soler. They have also forced the relocation of senior housing, which will go next to the proposed performing arts center, and not in a 500-year flood plain.

Intersection improvements

Mr. Soler said the State Traffic Commission looks at all impacts to the state right-of-way. Among the items under consideration are the company’s proposed intersection improvements — at the intersections of Routes 7 and 107, Routes 57 and 107, North Main Street and Route 107, and North Main Street and Route 7. The intent of the intersection improvement at Routes 7 and 107 is to redesign it into more of a “T” and a controlled intersection, said Mr. Soler.

In some cases, the work at the intersections will include widening and sidewalks. Proposed are “overall improvements to the flow of traffic,” said Mr. Soler.

While new signalization is planned for the Routes 7 and 107 intersection, new traffic lights are planned at the intersection of North Main Street with Route 7 by Bob Sharp’s and at the intersection of North Main Street and Route 107.

Coming down

Meanwhile, asbestos removal work has been ongoing at the site since August. About 50% of the work has been done on the buildings that will be demolished, said Mr. Soler.  Buildings slated to be demolished include warehouses and some of the brick buildings that are structurally unsound, including those over the Norwalk River, which runs through the site. The company’s plans include “daylighting” the river.

Mr. Soler expects the buildings to come down over the next three to four weeks. After the buildings are leveled, he said, work on the infrastructure — roads, new utilities, etc. — for the entire project will begin, “probably” in November. The work will take six to nine months, said Mr. Soler. “As that work is done, we can put in foundations,” he added.

Since the State Traffic Commission approval has required modifications to the redevelopment plan, these changes require Zoning Commission approval, which is expected at this week’s meeting. The Conservation Commission has already approved the company’s request to modify its wetlands permit. Tuesday night, the Planning Commission received GLDC’s request for the resubdivision of the two lots affected by the traffic commission’s decision. The hearing on the request is set for Oct. 10.
REDDING APPLICATIONS:
 
Planners open hearing on G&B plan
Redding PILOT
 Feb 2, 2006


The Planning Commission opened its public hearing on Georgetown Land Development Company’s application for the proposed subdivision of 45 acres into 106 lots last Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Georgetown Land Development Company (GLDC) is the redeveloper of the former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill site off Route 107. The company is a proposing a pedestrian-friendly village for the area with mixed uses of  housing, retail, commercial and light industrial. A community theater, health club, and new train station are among the items in its proposal.

Commission Chairman Diane Taylor said the commission has received all maps and documents, along with the qualifications of the consultants, and GLDC’s Design Code and zoning information. Ms. Taylor said because of the unusual scope of the application, in that it exceeds the normal application size and context, the planners would wait to review the materials at its Jan. 31 meeting, giving the town’s consultants time to review any additional materials in time for the continuance of the public hearing on Feb. 14.

John Hayes, town planning consultant, said it is a very complex application due to the large number of lots and the revised street configurations, which are involved. He is in the process of reviewing it.

Susan Robinson, a Smith Street resident adjacent to the GLDC project site, read a letter to the commission stating concerns regarding the area wells. She wanted reassurance that local water quality will be monitored throughout all blasting and construction.

The increase in local traffic, including cars, “trade trucks,” and tractor-trailers on the short, narrow, and one-way streets are also a concern, she said. Because there will be a general increase in traffic immediately behind her property and throughout the village, and considering Georgetown is located in a valley where air quality could be a problem, it is important to create greenbelts of trees and vegetation to buffer noise, curtail dust, and improve air qualify, said Ms. Robinson.

She and her neighbors expect pubic notification from GLDC before any more construction and remedial work is done adjacent to their properties.

Richard Gibbons, GLDC’s attorney, reviewed the items he submitted to the commission. The basic subdivision and site plans, along with engineering and traffic reports, were all submitted.

Mr. Gibbons said the site plan for the expansion of the Georgetown wastewater treatment plant has been approved by the Zoning Commission. Groundbreaking is targeted for March.

An application before the Board of Selectman for the discontinuance and relocation of North Main Street to come out just past Bob Sharp Motors and out to Route 7 is underway, he said. 

The subdivision application objective, Mr. Gibbons told the planners, is to make the development as diverse as possible with townhouses and single-family houses. Also included in the community development are condominiums, apartments and lofts throughout the rest of the project.

A brief history of the Gilbert & Bennett Wire Factory was given. A presentation of the proposed redevelopment of the factory into a walkable village with a variety of housing types and a multiplicity of uses such as retail, civic, and light industrial, and allowing public access to the waterfront pond, waterfall, and the Norwalk River is the objective of the project, said Mr. Gibbons. The road network will allow public access to the pond and village along with the railroad station, and civic uses will be at the heart of the village, bringing pedestrians into the network, said Mr. Gibbons.

The subdivision plan for the 45 acres into 106 lots was presented by the Bob Gilchrest, landscape architect for GLDC. The waterfall and the walkways around the pond were reviewed along with landscaping of the streetscapes. The lots for the three districts involved on the application were reviewed along with parking garages and additional parking spaces.

Commissioner Robert Dean confirmed with Mr. Gilchrest that all of the units are single-family attached and detached units.

Ms. Taylor said she wanted clarification of the presence of land requiring special precautions in respect to planning regulations and would like a statement on record.

Mr. Dean agreed, saying the applicant should evaluate its compliance with regulations concerning land requiring special precautions and address this at the next meeting for the record.

Ms. Taylor also questioned the phasing of construction of the units in the project. Mr. Dean said the phasing is key to the success of Georgetown over all.

Terry Gallagher, an engineer for the project, presented the implementation of the master plan for the watercourses and wetlands with review of runoff to down slope housing units. The flood plain analysis for the report measured how much water could run through the channel. Plans for the flood walls were reviewed along with new construction for the existing bridges to improve the 100-year flood plain plan. He said new construction would drop the water level about one and a half feet in the channel to improve the 100-year flood plain plan.

Gilbert & Bennett history page...there will be Public Hearings in Redding before three (3) separate Redding Commissions:
  1. First is the Redding Planning Commission on Tuesday, January 24, 2006..."a subdivision of 45 acres into 106 lots;"
  2. Redding Conservation Commission has not notified the Town Clerk's Office re: date and time, but we expect it is next...or concurrent with the Planning Commission;
  3. "Public Hearing of the Redding Zoning Commission on February 8, 2006 (Wednesday) at 7:30pm in the Hearing Room at the Redding Town Hall"  takes place.  Purpose of the hearing will be to review an application for a site plan approval from Georgetown Land Development for the portion of the property located north of Redding Road (Rte. 107).  It is the understanding of Redding ZEO that a set of plans has been forwarded to the "appropriate planning commission."  A copy of the application form is below:
A page from the summary of the August 2005 traffic report...to be discussed February 8, 2006:  the bottom line=less traffic than when Gilbert & Bennett factory was in business.

In the spirit of light being good and dark being bad, which area do you think will be developed for occupancy first?  (Just our guess!)

PREVIOUSLY...
On March 24, 2004, at 7:30pm in the Hearing Room of the Redding Town Hall there will be a Public Hearing...to which residents of Weston are invited.  The purpose of the hearing is to review proposed amendments to the Redding Zoning Regulations with respect to their "Special Development District" in the historic neighborhood of Georgetown - specifically, the former Gilbert & Bennett mill site.  If you have any questions, you are invited to contact Tom Gormley, Zoning Enforcement and Wetlands Officer:  (203) 938-8517.

Below is a letter from Attorney Richard Gibbons, long-time representative for the company, and a thoughtful person.