FAQs - Georgetown Land Development Company

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We are happy to answer all your questions about the redevelopment of the Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill in Georgetown. If you don't see your question here, please contact us.

We'll be updating the FAQs regularly to better serve the community and all the stakeholders in the Georgetown project.

Q: When will you begin construction and when will it be completed?
The buildings will go through an asbestos abatement program, get power-washed and then be scheduled for demolition. Demolition is scheduled to begin by the end of July. Roads and infrastructure will go in during the fall of 2006. New construction will begin as early as the fourth quarter of 2006. Most construction will be going on during the spring and summer of 2007.

Q: How do I find out more about the different types of housing that are planned? Click on our LIVE HERE section. You can put your name on our waiting list, and you will receive information when it is available.

Q: What does "mixed-use" mean?
Mixed-use means that shops, offices, restaurants and other commercial tenants are in the same buildings (or right next to) residential living spaces. Mixed-use is one of the principles of Smart Growth; it's the opposite of suburban sprawl, where commercial businesses are in one area, people live in another-and you need a car to get back and forth from one to the other. Mixed-use contributes to stronger neighborhoods, preserves open space and decreases automobile pollution.

Q: What kinds of businesses will be in the new village center?
It's our goal to populate the development with businesses that address the normal daily needs of people who live in the village. Examples would include a grocery store, bank, coffee shop, bakery, dry cleaner, restaurants, cafés and similar retail establishments. We will not lease space to a business that will put out of business a merchant who currently operates in Georgetown. For example, we will not put in another pharmacy unless the existing pharmacy closes, is bought out or merges with the new pharmacy.

Q: Will I be able to commute into New York City from here?
Yes. The Georgetown Train Station is scheduled to be operating within three years. Its final design is subject to Connecticut Department of Transportation and Metro-North Commuter Railroad approvals. Reaching New York City's Grand Central Terminal will take approximately one hour and 30 minutes, depending on day of the week and time of day.

Q: Could I move my office to the new village center?
Yes. There will be office space set aside for small businesses of all kinds.

Q: What types of amenities are planned?
Currently we expect to construct a 50,000-square-foot state-of-the-art health club facility that will have a 50-meter pool, an exercise center and a state-of-the-art workout area. Also planned is a 199-seat "black box" theater that will accommodate up to 250 people for special functions-community and private. In the same building there will be a fixed-seat theater for lectures and movies, a dance school, classroom space for educational purposes and display areas for artists. Next to the black box theater a 15-unit structure housing affordable artists' lofts is planned to accommodate local artists and keep them in the community.

Q: What do you mean by "green" buildings and "green" technology?
"Green" buildings use more renewable materials, conserve energy and water consumption and enhance indoor air quality, The U.S. Green Building Council, a coalition of building industry leaders, has established the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification system to rate buildings on how green they are.

Building green makes both economic and environmental sense-plus it makes for healthier individuals and healthier communities.

"Green" technology involves the technology, science and methods that make green buildings-new or renovated-possible. Examples are photovoltaics (which capture heat from the sun and turn it into electricity), green roofs (planted areas on the tops of buildings that improve air quality and save energy) and hydrogen fuel cells (which rely on chemistry, not combustion and result in cleaner electric power).

All of these green technologies will be used in the Georgetown development.

We are aiming to be one of the first developments to be LEED-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as an entire community.

Visit www.usgbc.org for more information on why more and more communities are building green.