Clinton approves large-scale indoor recreation facility at former Unilever site Former Unilever site to be modeled after Chelsea Piers in Stamford

CLINTON >> With zoning approval in hand, developers hope to have the former Unilever plant open for operation by early next year as a large-scale indoor recreation facility, including two full-size ice-skating rinks.

Modeling the project after the huge Chelsea Piers recreational facility in Stamford, David A. Mack Properties of Stamford plans to offer an array of sports and athletic services — everything from ice hockey to soccer and baseball and physical training — in a $10 million to $12 million renovation of the more than 200,000-square-foot building.

Unilever, or Chesebrough-Pond’s, was the mainstay of the town’s economy for more than 100 years, until the surprise closing of the sprawling plant in 2011.

With the closing a $200,000 blow to the town’s annual economy, the Mack project is seen by town officials as a major revitalization of the downtown economy, and an inventive reuse of one of its largest commercial structures.

Long-term plans for the remainder of the nearly 30-acre property are speculative at this point, but developer Mack has said the site eventually could offer office space and residential units.

The Planning and Zoning Commission approved Mack’s application for a change of use of the Unilever plant, subject to a number of conditions, including state traffic commission and health district approvals.

Mack said this week, “We’re going over all the details of the approval, including the conditions and how to meet them.” Among the tasks to be addressed, he said, is obtaining state Traffic Commission approval for the new use of the facility, “even though we likely will create less traffic than Chese­brough-Pond’s did at its peak.” Mack told the Zoning Commission that he anticipates weekdays will see as many as 150 people at the facility, in shifts.

Mack said he is in negotiations with Shoreline Ice Inc. of Clinton to lease about 80,000 square feet of space on the ground floor for conversion into two ice-skating rinks, a plan which will require substantial renovations to the building and installation of refrigeration units.

Shoreline Ice had planned to build an ice hockey arena on a portion of the town’s former landfill until First Selectman William Fritz made them aware of Mack’s plans for the Unilever property.

“We’re in the process of finalizing the ice rink deal, and then, one by one, we will begin discussions with tenants for the rest of the space. The whole ground floor is spoken for,” he said, projecting that about 220,000 square feet of space would be under lease.

“We’ve had a huge amount of interest, but we’re looking at the viability of their business plans, their financial viability — some (prospective tenants) have two or three (locations), others are first-timers,” he said.

Mack said he hoped to have the facility up and running by January or March of next year, with hours of operation from 5 a.m. to midnight.

Planning for the future use of the iconic art deco Pond’s office building, next to the plant, has been set aside while the first phase of the development is being addressed, he said.