A pre-application conference was held between local commercial developers and staff with the city of Ridgefield to discuss the early phases of a new project: Kirkland Center at Ridgefield.
The main focus of Kirkland Center includes details for a 160,000-square-foot building labeled “home improvement center” with an additional 7,800-square-feet of garden center space in the pre-app site plan.
Developers and city staff discussed the additional two phases of the development for two frontage buildings that may feature retail space on the first floor and housing above the first floor.
The project is being proposed on a 17.5-acre property with access from North 65th Avenue directly north of the Ridgefield Park and Ride and Tesla Supercharger station.
In the initial site plan, the required amount of parking for the home improvement center is labeled at 458 parking stalls; the project is currently proposed to include 484 spaces. The two additional parcels for future possible mixed-use buildings well exceed required parking spaces.
As the project labels the big box retail store as a home improvement center at 160,000-square-feet in total, the average size of Lowe’s and Home Depot buildings land at 104,000-square-feet to 112,000-square-feet of retail space, according to The Spruce.
The proposed development acreage does include a wetland, but site plans show no intrusion onto the wetland to the north of the development. However, an aquifer recharge wetland area is on the south part of the property directly where development will take place. City staff and developers discussed the need to mitigate that wetland.
“It’s exciting to see community engagement building around developments that can bring value to Ridgefield and the surrounding communities,” project manager Brian Groth, with Kirkland Development LLC, stated in an email. “We’re currently refining the site plan and narrative based on productive pre-app discussions with the city. This includes exploring mixed-use options under the overlay code to enhance sustainability, job opportunities and local amenities.”
After the pre-application conference, Groth stated in his email that he anticipates a polished site plan and project narrative to be available within four-to-six weeks.
