Walking across the New Haven Green can be a pleasant reminder that a living, breathing city exists outside the confines of the Yale campus. But what one finds on "the other side" of the Green is not always so agreeable. Empty storefronts and abandoned buildings mar the otherwise picturesque cityscape. Downtown New Haven has faced a retailing dilemma in recent years, as existing store owners leave the area without new shopkeepers to take their place.
To address this chronic problem, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. announced earlier this month that the city is accepting proposals from at least 10 developers to create a million-square foot mall and retail center in the Long Wharf area of New Haven, at the junction of Interstates 95 and 91. The current Chapel Square Mall will most likely be closed in the near future.
The idea of a major retail mall in the harbor area has drawn mixed reviews. While possibly strengthening New Haven's overall economic health, the loss of even more retail from the downtown area could hurt local merchants. It is still uncertain whether the creation of such a center will solve the problems facing New Haven's businesses.
The reasons for the loss of mass retailing in the downtown area are varied, according to Douglas Rae, Richard Ely Professor of Management in the School of Management. "Mass retailing in downtown New Haven is dead," Rae said. "The suburban malls created that effect long ago."
Rae pointed to the national trend of moving large-scale retailing outside of urban areas to the suburbs, and the corresponding development of small businesses on city streets. One of the problems facing New Haven's business is its failure to keep up with this movement. Macy's departure from the Chapel Square Mall two years ago was a stunning example of this problem.
New Haven's solution to the problem, placing a mall at the junction of major highways, is a commonly used strategy that has been successful in many parts of the country. Rae agreed with the city administration's belief that the proposed mall had excellent chances for success, especially due to the 100,000 to 200,000 cars which pass through the intersection each day.
But if mass retailing returns to New Haven, what will this mean for downtown? DeStefano sees the growth of downtown differently from the new mall. According to the mayor, while the harbor would represent the major retail center of the city, downtown would be the cultural center. "There are several healthy street-level retail neighborhoods in the city, and we'll continue to support them. It is a different kind of retail that regional shopping centers will complement rather than compete with," DeStefano said.
Current plans for the existing Chapel Square Mall include developing it into a hotel and street-level shopping project. The proximity of the New Haven Green makes downtown an area best suited for outdoor shopping. City planners are working towards reorienting business in the area towards more specialty shops.
Mayor's Office Spokesperson Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo pointed out that the city is working to revitalize the downtown area in other ways as well-like helping the Shubert Theater reorganize its finances, attract more popular shows, and add to the entertainment value of the area. "Downtown is already very strong in arts and entertainment and culture; we would try to build on that," Sullivan-DeCarlo said.
Developing specialty stores and entertainment industry downtown will contrast with the mass retail of the Long Wharf Mall, and many feel that the two will not compete. "They are two different markets," DeStefano said. Rae agreed, pointing out that the specialty store market has found a niche for itself in city streets, while shopping malls are planted firmly in the suburbs. He said he believes a Long Wharf mall would compete with other regional suburban malls, such as the Connecticut Post Mall, but not exert any more pressure on small businesses. "I think that the things against which it [the proposed mall] will compete are largely in the suburbs at this point," Rae said.
City residents and business owners, however, are skeptical. Francis Baker, owner of Sugar Magnolia on Chapel Street, said shopping in the downtown area would be hurt by a major New Haven shopping mall. "It will probably be much more accessible than the center of town; parking will be better, and it will take traffic away. People won't come downtown. After all, people like to do what's easy," Baker said. She also questioned the necessity of another mall. Citing the proximity of the Connecticut Post Mall, she said that the city should be doing more to build up and support small shops.
While plans for the harbor mall are still young, the need to revitalize the downtown retail area is years old. The advent of a mall will change the city's economy and contribute to a synergy of downtown and harbor, inducing Yalies and townies alike to cross the Green more often.
Copyright 1996, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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