New Haven Galleria

The New Haven Galleria at Long Wharf was a shopping mall proposed for construction in New Haven, Connecticut by mayoral candidate Wally Grigo in 1993.[1]

Although Grigo did not win the election, his idea was embraced in a March 1996 announcement by Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. for a $500 million[2] project that would have been completed by 2001.[3] In September 1997, DeStefano spoke of the Galleria as a "high-end mall that will not just make the city proud, but will serve the entire region with distinction."[4]

Although "developers from around the world competed to build the mall", the mayor insisted that the winning developer use a local construction family, the Fuscos, who were "major political fund-raisers for the mayor".[1] The contract was eventually awarded to New England Development of Newton.[5][6]

Features

The Galleria was to have been 1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2), housing at least 150 stores.[7] Nordstrom, Macy's, Filene's, and Lord & Taylor had committed to the project.[6] The mall was estimated to create 3,000 jobs and bring in $7 million in annual property taxes.[8] It would have been encircled by a newly constructed road, Galleria Drive.,[9] and connected with Downtown New Haven by an electric trolley system.[10]

A unique feature of the mall was to have been a "retail academy", used as a "training ground for people who want to work for the stores and management".[11]

Support and opposition

Local newspaper, the New Haven Register, supported the mall - to the point of a "publisher's memo ordering the newsroom to play down any negative news".[1] Support for the mall also came from opponents of the proposed University Place shopping center in Downtown New Haven.[1]

The Galleria was strongly opposed by the rival Westfield Connecticut Post, which filed over 15 lawsuits against its construction.[8][12] Westfield also formed a group called the "Save Our Downtown Alliance", allegedly defending the interests of local merchants, while simultaneously threatening potential anchor stores and national chains with 'site retribution' if they located at Long Wharf.[5] Mall opponents characterized it "as a corporate welfare-bloated traffic and environmental nightmare that would kill downtown shops."[13] In December 2000, Nordstrom withdrew its offer to anchor.[3] Westfield bought the site for $20 million in a 2001 settlement of litigation over the failed plan to build the mall.[2]

New Haven had used a similar strategy decades earlier to defeat neighboring North Haven's plans to build a mall.[1]

Aftermath

A portion of the land is now occupied by a 306,000-square-foot (28,400 m2) IKEA store, which broke ground in 2003.[14] In 2004, DeStefano said, "In some ways, IKEA is the mall that was never built. There's no doubt that IKEA really answered the question of what [the site] can be."[15]

The attention given to the Galleria has been credited with stalling, and eventually giving way to, the revitalization of Downtown New Haven.[16]

Footnotes
  1. The Great Malle - One city's never-ending search for urban renewal Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine, by Paul Bass, 2008
  2. Pirelli building site may house IKEA at New Haven Register, April 18, 2002
  3. The death and life of Chapel Square Archived 2012-09-20 at the Wayback Machine, 24 Jan 2002 - accessed 01 Oct 2010
  4. Revamping downtown in the post-mall era by Aaron Lichtig, January 12, 2001
  5. Chapel Square Mall at DeadMalls.com, 28 Jan 2006, accessed 01 Oct 2010
  6. International Council of Shopping Centers - "NED, Fusco plan upscale project for New Haven", by Maura K. Ammenheuser, May 1999 - accessed 01 Oct 2010
  7. Business New Haven - Downtown New Haven Business Review by Linda Mele, 23 Aug 1999 - accessed 15 Nov 2008
  8. New Haven sues Milford in latest Long Wharf mall battle Archived 2007-03-10 at the Wayback Machine at the Yale Herald, by Sangeetha Ramaswamy, 2000 - accessed 01 Oct 2010
  9. New Haven's "Ring Road", 26 Nov 2009 - accessed 01 Oct 2010
  10. City gets federal funds for mall trolley project, 09 Oct 2000 - accessed 01 Oct 2010
  11. NED, FUSCO PLAN UPSCALE PROJECT FOR NEW HAVEN, by Maura K. Ammenheuser, May 1999 - accessed 01 Oct 2010
  12. New Haven Advocate "Retail of Woe" Archived 2005-12-15 at the Wayback Machine, by Carole Bass, 1998 - accessed 27 Jan 2007
  13. Gelateria Rises From Galleria’s Ashes at New Haven Independent, by Melissa Bailey, 17 Jun 2010 - accessed 01 Oct 2010
  14. IKEA breaks ground for New Haven store as part of U.S. expansion, Press release, 04 Sep 2003 - accessed 15 Nov 2008
  15. Where Ikea goes, city wants others to follow, by Kimberly S. Johnson, July 25, 2004
  16. A funky warehouse district—who's buying?, by Molly Ball, September 22, 2000
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