By Shereen Siewert
Plans for a major retail project along the Camp Phillips Drive corridor in Weston have been suspended, according to a village of Weston news release.
Weston Administrator Keith Donner announced the decision on Tuesday.
The board of Trustees on Monday received a presentation by the Forward Development Group of Verona covering the history of the Camp Phillips Centre Project, along with a current status report. The developer opted to suspend work on the retail piece of the planned mixed-use development citing multiple factors including extraordinary infrastructure costs, Donner said.
The development was initially planned for an approximate 140-acre parcel on the southeast quadrant of the Camp Phillips Road and Hwy. 29 interchange.
In addition to infrastructure cost concerns, the changing retail landscape, unsupportable land acquisition costs, reduced acreage for the development and wetland impacts were also factors in FDG’s decision to suspend the retail portion of the project.
The proposal for a commerce center was first floated in 2015 by then-Administrator Daniel Guild and was projected to bring $200 million in development to the village. The original plan consisted of four separate development areas and included three large retail lots with 11 smaller retail lots, along with office space, a residential district, business park and recreation areas.
FDG is willing to explore other development options in Weston, Donner said, and village officials will consider future proposals from possible developers on a case-by-case basis.
