NORTH BRANFORD - The Town Council has assigned a negotiation team to work with a Middletown development company that's proven it understands -- and can deliver -- what the town wants in its new Town Center.

In early July, the council voted to accept the Economic Development Commission's (EDC) recommendation to award Centerplan Development Co.'s Middletown office "preferred developer status" for a mixed-development town center project.

In discussion since 2013, North Branford hopes to welcome a new town center development that is aesthetically pleasing, user-friendly and will include green space amidst retail, commerce and residential buildings. The town center development will be built on six acres of town-owned land encompassing the former Town Hall, old Center School and Wall Field on Route 80.

Centerplan's request for proposal (RFP) best met the town's vision for the property, according to the EDC. On July 7, "...they met to say they endorse and support and were recommending to the (Town) Council that they go ahead with awarding (Centerplan) preferred developer status," Town Manager Michael Paulhus told Zip06.

Founded in 2006, Centerplan is based in Hartford with a Middletown satelitte office that will be working with the town. The company recently completed the Landmark Square development in Middletown and is currently undertaking the 15-acre DoNo (Downtown North) Hartford mixed-use development project to revitalize the area and its neighborhoods. Ground was broken in February for the DoNo development, which will include a full-service (50,000 square feet) grocery store, Thomas Hooker Brewery, residential units, retail space, and a minor league ballpark.

In North Branford, the EDC fostered the creation of a town-wide vision for the new Town Center with assistance from Yale Urban Design Workshop (YUDW); including two highly-attended public charrettes in 2014. YUDW consultant and charrette facilitator Alan Plattus supports the EDC's choice of Centerplan as the developer for the project, said Paulhus.

Next, North Branford's negotiation team will sit down with Centerplan to create a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) detailing project expectations, said Paulhus. The negotiation team assigned by the Town Council consists of Paulhus, Town Attorney John Gesmonde and Town Councilman Joseph Faughnan, with Town Councilman Dan Armin as alternate.

"We'll be coming to the table with Centerplan later this month to talk about roles and responsibilities (and) specifics, in terms of the project," Paulhus told Zip06.  "Once we hammer out the MOU, it ultimately will lead to a land disposition agreement in order to sell the property (and/or) transfer the property."

The mixed-use development site plan, once produced by Centerplan, will be reviewed by the town's land use agencies with public hearings as part of the process. Currently, the EDC has an expectation that the new Town Center mixed-use development will incorporate green space among buildings including 14,456 square feet of retail space, a restaurant of 4,240 square feet and 20,455 square feet for residences.