Cochran House Plans Dropped–

Developer Eyes Woodbury Hall As Retail Space

By Kendra Bobowick

Could Woodbury Hall serve as retail space? Real estate broker Michael J. Struna is “preparing to bring forward” a proposal for a 30,000-square-foot office/retail location at Woodbury Hall, he said Tuesday. Following up on informal interest shown in Woodbury Hall that began weeks ago, he said that he will bring solid ideas to the Fairfield Hills Authority members in the near future. “This should be something good,” he said.

First Selectman Pat Llodra confirmed that “there has been an interest expressed in the last six weeks or so.” She said, “We’re very interested in that proposal, absolutely.”

Although the town’s Land Use Agency staff has also been involved in conversations, no formal proposal had been made public, yet.

According to information found at FairfieldHills.org, Woodbury Hall was built in 1933 as a nursing staff residence. The two-story, 30,000-gross-square-foot structure includes a basement and an attic. Although used primarily for staff rooms, the building has a layout that could lend itself to offices. The building has a large entry space that could serve as an office reception area.

 

A Failed Proposal

One developer’s proposal to convert Cochran House into am apartment complex has “unfortunately gone totally away,” said Mr Struna.

Regarding the early 2011 pitch to develop the old state hospital dorm into apartments by Merchant Equity Group, LLC of New York City, Mr Struna said the formal proposal to the town “died on the vine, I am sad to say.”

He stressed again that light retail and economic growth within the Fairfield Hills campus will not work without a housing component. “I suspect that some day some will say that we should have given this a closer look.”

In March of last year, an “experienced development team” was prepared to invest an estimated $27 million, stated a letter of intent submitted by Mr Struna to the Fairfield Hills Authority.

On behalf of Cochran Hall Apartments, LLC, Mr Struna confirmed that a developer was interested in negotiating a 99-year lease arrangement to convert Cochran House into an apartment building. The offer for a lease proposal from Merchant Equity Group, LLC indicated that a $250,000 upfront payment would be followed by annual payments.

The letter noted that Cochran was slated for demolition at a $2.5 million expense [old estimate], but could instead generate tax revenue for the town annually.

Mr Struna’s cover letter explained, “I have estimated that the combined savings on demolition and tax revenue on a revitalized 200,000 sf building would provide the Town of Newtown with an additional benefit of $7,000,000 over the next 10 years.”

A ground lease proposal also would “relieve the town of the requirement to provide grass cutting, snowplowing, landscaping, and lighting services for the entire demised premises. The developer will also be responsible for the installation of all required parking areas.”

Asserting that the campus redevelopment can best be completed in a public/private partnership manner, Mr Struna wrote that the developer was “sensitive to the current economy and town issues.”

He asked last year that “this proposal should be given your serious time and consideration” for various reasons, and also stated that part of the “current hurdle we must overcome is that the zoning as described in the Fairfield Hills Adaptive Reuse Regulations does not endorse a residential component.”

Mr Struna hoped to see any modifications regarding housing completed in a “timely manner.”

Although Planning and Zoning Commission member considered revising its Fairfield Hills adaptive reuses to include housing — a topic that still remains an open question — the development deal had already fallen through.

The Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Committee last year was also in the process of reviewing a 2005 master plan for campus reuse, which did not include housing. Their recommendations in 2011 also did not support housing.

On page 14 of the committee’s final report, which is available at Newtown-ct.gov, section 2.4, headed Not Recommended for the Fairfield Hills Master Plan, the document states: “At this time, there is very little support for housing on the Fairfield Hills property. While many of us on the committee believe that diversifying Newtown’s housing stock and encouraging sustainable residential development are critical issues for Newtown, we agree that supporting housing on the Fairfield Hills campus at this time is not in the best interests of the property or the community.”