Waterford — The Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved General Dynamics Electric Boat’s plans for its remake of the Crystal Mall property, which the company purchased last year. Devin Xenelis, director of facilities and real estate at Electric Boat, said Tuesday night the company purchased the mall property after an “immense amount of pressure from our customer” the U.S. Navy to deliver submarines. Xenelis alluded to the global events that are putting pressure on the Navy, making the military branch a more demanding customer. “The volumes requested don’t fit in our current shipyard,” Xenelis told the Planning and Zoning Commission as it held a public hearing on a special permit requested by Electric Boat to transform the aging mall into more space for the submarine manufacturer. Xenelis said moving certain workers to Waterford would free up space in the Groton shipyard, which Xenelis said can’t expand because it has the Thames River on one side and neighborhoods on the other. The Groton shipyard could then focus more on building submarines, its “core function,” Xenelis said. Xenelis said Electric Boat explored other sites before deciding the mall was best for its needs. Planning Director Mark Wujtewicz in his report on the project said EB is looking to convert the building from a shopping center to a “business/professional office with a private educational use” and “ancillary uses” like medical, food and financial services. Project plans also include removing about an acre of parking lot pavement.

https://theday.com/news/856812/waterford-approves-electric-boat-plan-for-crystal-mall/