Controversial $200M Luxury Mall Deal Is Dead In West Haven: Report

WEST HAVEN, CT — Officials have confirmed that the long planned, delayed and controversial, The Haven luxury mall project won’t happen in West Haven, according to NBC Connecticut.

State Rep. Dorinda Borer told NBC Connecticut that the developer, Simon Premium Outlets, informed local leaders in a May meeting that they weren’t moving forward with the project and intend to demolish the rest of the buildings and “put it on the market as one contiguous piece of property.”

The developer had planned to build the $200 million luxury outlet center on 26 waterfront acres. West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi said in May that while some buildings have been razed since April 27, 2020, The Haven Development Co. had not yet submitted plans to the city to build the proposed 261,182-square-foot waterfront development.

Rossi also announced in May that the city was considering fining the developer for not cleaning up and maintaining the properties it owns along Water Street.

Rossi told NBC Connecticut that the developer has filed for demolition applications for the remaining boarded-up buildings, but still must pay for the permits. She also said she’s focused on demolition because the entrance to the city “looks like a war zone,” according to NBC Connecticut.

In an update on Friday, Rossi said that the Simon Group's payment for the demolition permits were in place.

"The Simon Group (Haven) had applied for demolition permits a few weeks ago, however the payment was not in place until today," Rossi wrote in a post on Facebook. "The plan right now is to demo the buildings in blocks, the first block will contain 8 buildings, with a total of approximately $4,400 for the permits for this block.

"A schedule for demolition will follow shortly."

Read the full report at NBC Connecticut here.