NORWALK, Conn. — Norwalk Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Tim Sheehan has resigned, effective June 30.
Sheehan has been hired as the new Springfield, Mass., chief development officer. This was announced in a Wednesday afternoon press conference, according to a news story on MassLive. Sheehan and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno worked together years ago, the story reports.
Redevelopment Agency Chairman Felix Serrano said in a Wednesday morning statement that there would be no comment on Sheehan’s resignation, beyond a statement touting development during his nearly 17 years with the agency.
“During Tim’s tenure as the Executive Director of the Redevelopment Agency Norwalk’s urban environment witnessed significant new growth totaling over 5.5 million square feet with an estimated value of nearly $700,000,000 inclusive of the SoNo Collection mall scheduled to open this fall,” Serrano said in a statement.
“It was a period of transformative change and Tim had a direct role in over 40 development projects since 2002 that have either been built, are currently in construction or in the process of being approved.”
“{T}he time has come to seek out new opportunities and challenges,” Sheehan said in his resignation letter.
The Redevelopment Agency Commission will appoint an Acting Executive Director at its July Meeting, advertise the Executive Director position through July, and make a permanent appointment to the position as soon as possible, an Agency press release said.
Serrano’s statement included a list of the Agency’s accomplishments since 2002:
Urban Core Projects 2002-present
Mayor Harry Rilling did not immediately return a request for comment.
Sheehan’s letter said:
“For almost seventeen years it has been my privilege to serve as the Executive Director of the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency. I have worked with three commission chairs, three mayors and eight Common Councils who collectively have all had the city of Norwalk’ s best interests at heart. In this time Norwalk’s urban environment witnessed extraordinary growth that complimented the existing urban context with new mixed use housing development, retail and entertainment uses. We invested millions of dollars into urban infrastructure creating new streets, improved lighting, new sidewalks and under grounding utilities. We revitalized public open spaces, remediated brownfields, defined public realm within private developments and introduced walkability as the model for urban street design. The Agency advanced significant zoning modifications to advance transit oriented development in South Norwalk and we are now days away from new zoning for the West Avenue and Wall Street area. We were the critical partner in realizing a HUD Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant and the necessary state funding to ensure the redevelopment of the oldest public housing development in the state of Connecticut. These developments and public investments have established a real estate investment market in Norwalk’s urban core the degree of which did not previously exist and that investment will have a lasting positive impact on Norwalk’s Grand List.
“For my part the time has come to seek out new opportunities and challenges. Therefore, I am providing you with my notice of resignation effective June 30, 2019. I will remain available to the Agency through July 7, 2019 as the Agency determines necessary.
“In closing, I thank you and the entire Commission for this amazing opportunity. It has been an incredible professional journey for me. The Redevelopment Agency Commission has been wonderful to work with and for. I am confident that upon my departure the Agency will continue to reach for new heights in urban planning and design and I will watch for such with interest. The future of Norwalk and its urban environment is bright.”
Sheehan’s father recently passed away; a source said he has family in Massachusetts.
Sheehan’s resignation comes as a lawsuit filed by the Agency against real estate broker Jason Milligan wears on, with mounting legal bills reaching $500,000, at last count. A Tyvek-covered stalled development commonly referred to as “POKO” looms over Wall Street and while City officials have been in negotiations with owner Citibank, no deal has been announced.
“The work of the City and Redevelopment Agency will move forward,” Norwalk Communications Manager Joshua Morgan wrote Wednesday afternoon. “We wish Tim the best of luck in the future. We will have no further comment at this time.”
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