Crystal Mall Gets A New Life As Electric Boat Facility

Finally, there is some good news for a shopping mall in Southeastern Connecticut that has been slowly withering away over the past few decades.

Governor Ned Lamont announced yesterday on social media that General Dynamics Electric Boat has purchased the Crystal Mall in Waterford in order to transform the massive mall into one of their production facilities. According to Lamont the facility will be used for Electric Boat's training, engineering, and software development work in support of Electric Boat's Columbia and Virginia-Class submarines.

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There are over a dozen malls in Connecticut, a few outlet shopping centers, and new mixed-use commercial/residential hybrids being built every day. During my 56 years on this planet, I've watched the heyday and the fall of shopping malls, and the transition to outdoor lifestyle complexes. Connecticut is filled with former industrial factories and complexes ripe for a multi-million-dollar transformation, but few have come to fruition.

The Meriden Mall, Waterbury's Brass Mill Mall, and the Trumbull Mall are the properties that I've recently visited that appear to be losing more tenants than filling vacancies. I was very surprised on a recent weekday visit to the Brass Mill to basically have an entire section of the space to myself.

On the other hand, Danbury Fair Mall and Westfarms Mall in Farmongton are thriving, both have adapted when a retailer bails out to keep their properties moving forward. Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester and the Stamford Town Center seem to be moving in the right direction in my view. Good luck on the purchase EB, the Crystal Mall was a nice place to visit up until the past five years.