In a news release, EB said it intends to convert the former store, a 121,000-square-foot building, into facilities for engineering, training and laboratory units, as it ramps up production of the Columbia- and Virginia-class submarines it builds for the U.S. Navy. EB said it expects to eventually put about 700 employees at the mall location, the first of them as early as 2027. It referred to the 7-acre site on Route 85 off Interstate 95 as “ideal,” with plenty of parking and ready access to local businesses. The site is about 5.5 miles from EB’s Groton shipyard. Namdar, which purchased the main mall, including 535,500 square feet of retail space, for $9.5 million at auction in 2023, indicated a year ago that it was exploring selling the mall or pursuing a partnership with another entity interested in redeveloping it. That the entire mall property has multiple owners has been seen as a major complication.
https://theday.com/news/758829/electric-boat-acquires-former-macys-space-in-crystal-mall/