Chapel Square plans in the air

Yalies longing for better mall shopping opportunities may have to wait a bit longer. After three years, litigation and negotiations are still stalled between Baltimore-based developer David Cordish and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. over the future of the Chapel Square Mall.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH No progress toward redevelopment of the Chapel Square Mall is likely for at least a year.

Cordish, DeStefano, Yale Vice President of New Haven and State Affairs Bruce Alexander, BK '65, and two top Omni Hotels executives met on Tues., Sept. 1, in hopes of finally resolving the conflict, but the two sides remain firmly at odds.

"We have a contract, and we're 100 percent confident that we'll win," Cordish said, adding that the only mistake he and his partners made was "saying we'd do exactly what we said we'd do."

Cordish and the owners of the mall began planning for its revitalization over three years ago when Cordish bought the Park Plaza Hotel and agreed to develop the mall as well. However, he has made little forward movement since. Redevelopment efforts came to a complete halt when Cordish filed suit against the owners in federal court, alleging that they violated contractual agreement by raising the price from $700,000 to $2.7 million.

The mall is owned by a subsidiary of the foundation of the New Haven Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Matthew Nemerson likened the situation to the plot of Dr. Seuss's Horton Hatches the Egg: "If some bird said, `You sit on this egg and I'll be back in nine months,' and three years pass, what are you going to do?"

Although he acknowledges that the price was changed, Nemerson claims that the adjustment does not violate the terms of the original contract. Nemerson explained that the price was changed to account for the $1.5 million the subsidiary borrowed to pay for the costs of relocating and renovating the Yale Co-op.

"We've raised the price," Nemerson said. "The price now is not what we agreed to, but according to the contract, we have the right to not do what the contract says."

Last summer, still waiting for Cordish to follow through, the Chamber of Commerce offered to house the displaced Yale Co-op in the space next to the mall. Nemerson claims Cordish verbally agreed to pay the extra cost. With the Co-op as an "anchor tenant," Nemerson maintains that the mall is now worth $5.1 million.

Nemerson suggested that Cordish is simply trying "to have his cake and eat it too"-- trying to buy the mall at the pre-Co-op price with the added benefit of the fully functioning Co-op. "Any judge will see through this charade," he said.

For his part, Cordish said the meeting "wasn't any big deal" and frustratedly characterized the New Haven city administration as "unique. To keep it polite, I'll just call it unique."

The one thing the two sides do agree on is that the mall needs to be and will be redeveloped eventually. Here, they are joined by representatives from both the University and the city. Alexander, a former developer himself, supports Cordish's idea to turn the mall inside out and have the stores face the street. Cordish referred to the mall as a "suburban mall in an urban setting" and said that he plans to make it the reverse.

Alexander, who attended the recent meeting as a "possible facilitating participant," explained that Yale has no official interest in the mall. The University, however, wants to see that what is done is best for downtown New Haven.

"Chapel Square Mall is an important block in downtown. It's important to redevelop it in a way that strengthens and enhances downtown," Alexander said.

DeStefano spokesman Michael Kuczkowski echoed Alexander's sentiments, saying that above all the Mayor wants to see the mall developed.

"The goal of the DeStefano administration is to work on the character of downtown," Kuczkowski said, noting that the Mayor is working on the marketing of downtown New Haven and the improvement of the area's infrastructure.

Despite Alexander and Kuczkowski's opitmism, not all Yale students think the redevelopment will work. Rob Ronan, JE '99, said, "I don't think it will help any having the stores face the street. The reason people aren't going in isn't because the stores are inside."

As far as a time frame for when redevelopment will begin, all participants acknowledge that it will be at least a year. This, of course, would be the best-case scenario. Commenting on the delay, Nemerson said only, "It's America."

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