Courtesy Paramount Development
The Wilton Mall ownership and Paramount Development have proposed adding new multifamily housing to the shopping center property as part of its transformation from strictly a retail facility to a more community centric mixed-use destination.
The project includes 382 new luxury, market-rate rental residences, including both apartments and townhomes. The enhancement to the community will feature premium resident amenities and sophisticated design.
Officials said the $120 million investment in Wilton will drive significant new sales and property tax revenue for Saratoga County and the Town of Wilton.
The housing community’s new residents will translate to new customers spending money at the Wilton Mall as well as surrounding retail, restaurants and entertainment facilities.
According to the developers, recent years have seen unprecedented changes in the retail industry, requiring shopping malls to evolve in response or risk going out of business. In July 2007, Wilton Mall backfilled the former retail space with a grocery store and fitness center. It marked the first steps towards the mall’s mixed use evolution.
In 2018, Wilton Mall experienced two anchor store closings—Sears and Bon Ton. Within two years the Saratoga Hospital opened in the former Sears store. Now Wilton Mall has an opportunity to further expand upon its uses and plans to repurpose the former Bon Ton site with amenity-rich apartments and townhouses.
The Macerich Corp. based in California and Paramount Development of Florida have proposed adding the new multifamily housing to the Wilton Mall as part of its transformation from a community retail center to a more community centric mixed-use destination.
The new housing community will replace a vacant department store site, transforming the east end of the shopping mall into a welcoming, attractive, walkable neighborhood environment adjacent to unique amenities.
Developers said the renovations will proceed across two phases of development. Phase one will include apartments immediately adjacent to the mall. Phase two will include three-story townhomes in the northeast corner of the property.
The new apartment buildings are designed to maximize views of the county forest or courtyard. Both apartment buildings will have an amenity-rich club house located in its courtyard. There will be surface parking and basement parking spaces dedicated to the residents and their guests.
Officials said phase two will include 86 townhomes for a total combined 382 units at the Wilton Mall. The townhome project will replace an area presently known as a borrow pit. Much of the material excavated from Phase one, for the basement and under the building parking structure, will be used as fill in this borrow-pit area. Each townhome will have its own garage space as well as surface parking.
According to the plans, resident amenities will include a card key to control access and provide safety to the community, the clubhouse, the amenities and to each apartment and townhome; private storage units; elevators; a resort-style, seasonally heated pool; summer kitchen and multiple grilling stations; EV car charging stations, and a children’s playground
The 24-hour clubhouse will feature a two-story fitness center featuring a cardio mezzanine, commercial gym equipment and a yoga/spinning studio with “Fitness-on-Demand”. A resident lounge will have a business center, cybercafé, golf simulator, pet grooming station, wine tasting club, multimedia room, game room with big screen TV, 24-hour package lockers, and an indoor bicycle storage and repair facility.
Unit amenities will include nine-foot ceilings, a stainless-steel, granite or quartz, window treatments, washers and dryers, and ceiling fans in the living room and bedrooms. There will also be high-speed Internet.
The apartment buildings will have sunken garages with elevator access to residential floors and each townhome will have its own garage.
The community will have pedestrian connections to the adjacent County Forest and its network of walking trails as well as to the Wilton Mall complex of services/businesses.
If the development is approved, construction will begin by Spring 2024 and the first housing units will be ready for occupancy within 34 months, developers said.
The project will bring eight permanent jobs and contracts with local services such as: a management company, landscaping, pool, valet and trash. Many temp jobs will be created during construction.