What a difference 16 months makes.
ROAN Ventures — developers of the Hamlet at Saugatuck project — filed plans yesterday with the Planning & Zoning Department.
The new design for the redevelopment of the town’s first commercial center show many changes from the original proposal, unveiled in June of 2022.
The modifications and alterations follow input from a September 2023 charette. Officials from P&Z, the Architectural Review Board, Conservation Department, Selectwoman’s Office, Police and Fire Departments, Representative Town Meeting — and the public — offered critiques and suggestions.
Criticism centered on the buildings’ density, height and architecture.
The drawings, landscape plans, and traffic and parking studies filed yesterday reflect changes since then.
The Hamlet at Saugatuck still encompasses the rectangle between Riverside Avenue, Railroad Place, Franklin Street and Charles Street, plus land on Riverside Avenue from Tutti’s to Railroad Place, plus the private parking lot above Luciano Park.
Plans still include retail, restaurants, residences, a 57-room hotel, marina, gourmet market and kids’ club near Luciano Park, boardwalk, underground parking — and a renovation of the 21 Charles Street office building.
But the look now is less massive. The edges are less sharp. The design is more New England.
For example, 3 buildings along the waterfront are more balanced. Setbacks on the upper floor make a 4-story building seem like 3, from the street.
Three buildings on Riverside Avenue, between Railroad Place (left) and the I-95 bridge, as seen from the water. Charles Street is between the middle and right buildings.
Over 50,000 square feet of the project — about 50% of the total area — will be devoted to public space. Midway, a tree-lined walking path from Luciano Park will lead to stadium seating along the river.
A walking path — with cobblestones — leads to the river (top).
The largest of the dozen or so buildings will sit on one side of that pathway. Its location next to the I-95 bridge will mitigate the current feeling of being overwhelmed by the towering span.
The largest building (right) will shield the pathway from the I-95 bridge (not shown, to the right of the building).
Riverside Avenue from Charles Street to Railroad Place — and Railroad Place itself — will be stamped concrete. It looks similar to cobblestone, a surface that slows drivers down.
One of the most intriguing designs is along Railroad Place itself. Architects have gone back more than a century — to when the Saugatuck post office occupied what is now Steam Coffee — to recreate a long-ago look.
A new look — taken from a century ago — for Railroad Place, from Riverside Avenue (right) to the west. The road surface is stamped concrete.
A key selling point of The Hamlet is the re-skinning of 21 Charles Street (the gruesome office building across from Zucca Gastrobar).
Its proposed red brick facade will hark back to old New England industrial towns. Think SoNo in nearby Norwalk; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Portland, Maine (or, right here in Westport, newly refurbished National Hall).
A new look for the 21 Charles Street office building.
A barn-like building next to Luciano Park — right now, a storage lot for large boats — has been reimagined in all stone. Along with a market and kids’ activities, it will serve as an event space, for weddings, bar mitzvahs, corporate events and more.
Luciano Park, with an event space barn behind it (where boats are now stored).
The Hamlet at Saugatuck will include 57 residential units, spread over 5 buildings. Up to 20% will be affordable, under state guidelines (or up to 25% if off-site — within a quarter-mile of the train station).
Parking for 250 to 300 cars is planned below grade. There will be 2 access points: Railroad Place, and Franklin Street (opposite Luciano Park).
That stretch of Franklin Street, meanwhile, would become 2-way. A roundabout at the curve by Railroad Place would enable dropoffs and pickups at the train station — avoiding a drive down Riverside Avenue and a right turn onto Railroad Place.
Franklin Street would become 2-way, past the 21 Charles Street office building, and the building that now houses a karate studio. Luciano Park is not shown, on the left.
With yesterday’s filing, the special permit process through town boards begins.
ROAN’s goal is for The Hamlet at Saugatuck’s shops, residences, walking paths, hotel, marina, underground parking — and the fresh-but-retro-looking 21 Charles Street — to be open in 2028.
(Westport’s LandTech site/civil engineering firm leads the design team. ROAN Ventures is also working with architects GKV, Phil Cerrone and Bill Bensley; landscape architect SWA, and DPZ design.)
BONUS PHOTOS: Here are a few views of the area encompassed by The Hamlet at Saugatuck.
The parcel between Railroad Place (far left), Riverside Avenue (bottom) and Charles Street (right).
21 Charles Street office building.
Luciano Park, with boat storage behind.
Love this new rendition of the Hamlet my whole family is excited to enjoy all of the amenities. Much needed improvement to this area.
The architecture is beautiful. I hope they can deliver this quickly. Will the river be dredged by then?
Super stuff. How can I get a spot at the marina?
People moved to this town to have an easier commute to the city. Right now traffic on the way home and in the morning from the train station can sometimes elongate a commute by an added 15 minutes just to get from the train over Citibank bridge. How can the limited street adjustments (making Franklin two-way and adding a roundabout) possibly accommodate the inevitable massive increase in added traffic from this building? I am concerned my commute home from NYC will now have an added 15-minutes. It’s a beautiful building but putting it next to the train station in an area where the roads are already congested during commuting time doesn’t seem like a good idea.
I just cannot fathom how the town can approve this. The traffic situation near/at the train station is horrendous. That area does not have the infrastructure to support such a massive development. Yes, the architecture is lovely but what it will do to the already congested area is ugly.
Cribari*
Dear Catherine,
You had it right the first time. Citibank has purchased Westport’s soul.
Oh boy. Looks like less ham. But more cheese.
21 Charles, ugly as it may be, looks far nicer now , far smaller now than under the proposed monstrosity.
Actually, 21 Charles is the same size in the proposal as now. It will just have work done on the facade (and, I imagine, the current dangerous parking garage).
Well, still uglier redo than current in my oh so educated opinion.
Long overdue. This entrance to town is rough. Those photos at the end are pretty brutal.
They seem to have the worst possible current photos as compared with the idealized drawings.
Curious, are there no above ground power lines in the plan?
Yay!! I’ve been waiting for good new like this for a long time. I love the whole concept. I live in Saugatuck and kept hoping that I would get to see this project completed while I am still on earth. I applaud everyone who had a hand in this project from the beginning. you listened to everyone and came up with a plan that will create something new and exciting for my little part of town. I urge town bodies to get the approvals done quickly. LET THE BUILDING AND THE MAGIC BEGIN!
Horrifying. Marpe and Tooker wanted us to become a “destination” town – and it’s happening.
All of the drawings are beautiful – if they were in Stamford!
This is still massive. We’re going to lose our character.
Bye bye Westport.
I’m looking forward to The Hamlet, as it represents a vast improvement over what is currently in the area. Am I the only one tired of the “traffic, traffic, traffic” whining? If you want to live in a vibrant, progressive, commercially viable, future looking town you’ll need to tolerate a slight increase in traffic.
Gorgeous! Very exciting!
Re: “character” – as shown in the images, this area has no character at present. It consists of vacant land enclosed by a chain-link fence, a hideous and outdated office building, and a few other dilapidated buildings. This is a vast improvement.
Re: “people moving to Westport for an easier commute to the city” – um, what? Westport is one of the furthest-out commuter towns in Connecticut Our train station is and has always been incredibly inconvenient because it’s located far from downtown and nowhere near where the bulk of residents live. People move here despite the commute, not because of it.
Re: traffic – the solution to traffic is not to halt otherwise incredibly beneficial development. It’s to… address traffic issues head on. Adding tax dollars to the town’s purse can only help that.
I should have been more clear. I agree that area is in desperate need of improvement. I just think The Hamlet is still too large – too out of proportion to everything around it.
The “character” I speak of is Westport as a whole. I believe people move to Westport because it’s a charming small town with lots of culture and amenities – all without needing to build up and out.
Oh sure. This from the town that has been unable for decades to come to terms for a plan to “improve” a simple town parking lot. This project is obviously out of scale for the neighborhood but money doesn’t talk, it swears.
By the way, they’re called “rotarys”, not roundabouts.
They were invented in Europe and they are called roundabouts ! Something America should have adopted decades ago.
Yeah, well in New England they’re called rotarys. And don’t even get me started on grinders vs. subs or milkshakes vs. frappes.
You know what’s great about rotarys? When a car traveling on the inner lane suddenly decides they need to exit immediately, cutting across the cars in the outer lane. Americans, by and large, are unfamiliar with them or how to navigate through them.
No thanks.
Europe had traffic circles and they were terrible, no rules to figure out, because there really weren’t any.
This is Westport, where in 1921, William Phelps Eno established the Eno Foundation for Highway Traffic Control, now the Eno Center for Transportation. The William Phelps Eno who in 1903 designed the traffic system for Columbus Circle, which was then implemented in Paris for the Arc de Triomphe. The William Phelps Eno who proposed in “the rotary or gyratory traffic system” which eventually lead to the modern roundabout being developed in the UK in the 1960s.
So, yeah, Westport, home of the rotary/roundabout.
BTW, The Eno Foundation for Highway Traffic Control of Saugatuck Connecticut also put out a book about parking back in 1957.
Of course many issues. What approvals, does it conform to our existing rules, is the funding obtained, what about the major environmental issues, timing, role of public etc.
I actually thought ROAN had gone away..Too bad.
Love this
Fabulous for the Town and all of Saugatuck!!!
Let’s get this approved and going fast!!!!
What ever happened to “Save Westport Now”?
This looks like a visionary concept to me for a sad looking site that exists right now . Yes, it will cause disruption and traffic needs to be addressed, especially across the metal bridge, but I for one embrace the future and it’s possibilities for a well designed project. I think Westport should encourage this project and let the investments be made.
I can’t imagine what the traffic will look like with the proposed remodel. And, I am not sure how this area can support all of the retail space. The SoNo mall seems vacant all the time and Darien keeps building and building. What will this do to downtown?
Was only a matter of time before this reared its vile head again especially since so many towns folk are invested in it.
A bit like the inn at Longshore.
I have zero doubt that if one reads the “small print” the plan is assuredly far worse than the original monstrosity that was approved by the RTM.
They will hire and pay a traffic expert just like our administration does to give them the exact feed back their heart and pocket books desire.
It will be comical to watch it all unfold between our eyes.
The hamlet will be given priority over residents and roads will be shut down as they please , to carry off this massive construction.
And saugatuck will go from quaint to Stamford esque.
Anyone in favor of this disgrace cannot possibly moan about a parking deck in the downtown.
Residents need to stay awake for this one.
And vote carefully in the next selectman election in November.
We do not need a guard dog for roan !
I’ve personally heard a couple names bandied around for potential candidates esp on the republican side, and one in particular will absolutely favor unequivocally good of these investors over good of residents.
It will be imperative to grill candidates on their stances regarding this project and downtown plans.
Even if when you do you get viciously attacked. Or subjected to a tantrum.
Then vote very very thoughtfully as if your town depends on it.
I’m not anti-development… but this is baloney. “Rounded corners” “4 stories look like 3″… nope. Plans are for more than 4 stories, and slightly rounded corners will barely make a difference. Too tall, too much, period. And what price point is an “Affordable residential unit”? How many units will be off-site, and where? Where does the “general public” park to enjoy the 50% of public space and stadium seating along the river”? A “Barn-like” ENORMOUS building next to Luciano Park for “A market and kids’ activities, event space, for weddings, bar mitzvahs, corporate events and more”… meaning a PRIVATE event space. Traffic already is horrendous during rush hours, or when there is a back up on I-95; I can’t imagine what this will add… I’m not seeing how the community is benefitting here.
It’s 5 stories high ! Not 3 or 4.
It’s obnoxious.
Mandell for all his bs about a parking garage in town was happy to try to block that yet lobby for this crap to happen all the while abstaining from a vote.. hahaha. What a pathetic joke. That along with old mill reeks !
I guess it’s all depending upon who your flavour of the day is !
There are assuredly more people anti this crap than for it.. it’s just the pleasure of the landowners of these mostly one floor high buildings trying to cash in on something that had never been acceptable till, imho, these bozos bought their way into the ears of those who could influence. Fix your shitty buildings ! . Maintain them. Or blight them.
Whatever about long grass this crap looks like the ghetto ! That does not mean you get to x5 or x6 it.
Look at the investors..
we know of a few.. Gault I believe.
Haberstrogh I believe.
Oh and the list goes on ! That is the tip of the iceberg.
This is landlords and townies( investors or friends of) and several rtm members, IMHO joining forces to screw over the residents by destroying residents peace and quiet, by urbanizing the town.
YET SAME believe it shouldn’t happen in downtown..
lmao.. what a joke.
Time for a Westport wake up call !
Mandell is not capable of no bias when it comes to saugatuck and downtown. In my opinion he will destroy one for the other without a second thought.
Max Crowley of downtown association, same crap !
All literally screwing over the hand that feeds them.
Must be some power behind roan( not that you’d know it by the gutties involved)
But I guess they impressed our dumbest, and most gullible.
I for one am going to watch this like a hawk !
Who will be the next selectman.woman ?
Cos if it’s who I heard is thinking of running, it’s buddy of Gault n co.. and you the residents who park in that lot will be walking the furthest whilst hamlet secures all the best spots for their staff n patrons.
But I don’t park there, so have at it those of you who do.
Defend your parking cos hamlet will bring with it 600 staff..
and they will all be parking in your spots !
Think very very carefully when you vote in November.
Think about who is looking after your best interest and who doesn’t give a fiddlers.
I for one know exactly who not to vote for.
Ciara-Exactly who are those guys??? Roan is a conglomeration of Landtech-Pete Romano Our local serial zoning buster since the early 2000s,Bensley Architecture- a world class global firm( think
Rosewood, Four Seasons etc and Akoya who touts themselves as having a perfect record of quickly improving operating performance and turnaround results as well as 3rd party asset management. However they are apparently all under the bigger umbrella of White Roan an ultra luxury hospitality and asset management company.
BIG BIG development money has come to Westport.
The 64,000 dollar question that must be unearthed is how and why our town boards drank their proverbial kool-aid so quickly. Going up 5 stories is a big deal in Westport and it seems to have been done at the snap of a finger with only one dissent who is a man of great principle.
Interesting note 31 Franklin Street-property was sold by a Romano to RDV 31-35 Franklin Street Propery owner LLC. 31 Franklin.
RDV stands for redevelopment value which is where the off site affordable component will be located. 31-35 Franklin street we’re all bought around the same time-Perfectly executed by Romano under the radar to provide for soon to be proposed Hamlet. Hmmm… will this now actually raise the rents paid as now subject to the 80/30% rule that defines “affordable”. In Westport that is equivalent to up to around $5000 a month in rent if you were to calculate 80% of westports median income(250,000) =200,000. 30% of that income is 60,000. Divided by 12 =5000 a month can be legally allocated to rent- deemed affordable in our new world.
Let’s say 31 Franklin was divided into apartments( or may be already)would/is the rent lower than the amount that will be proposed now tied to the Hamlet??
We seem to be effectively reducing the amount of real affordable housing with this project.
P&Z and our RTM may appear to have been duped falling for the trade offs they wanted in order to change the zoning….
Right now the average rent on Franklin Street is around $2500 a month from recent listings.
Lets guess what the average rent will be for the apartments carved out of 31-35 Franklin Street to satisfy the “affordable component of The Hamlet. I could be off base but I don’t think so.
Westport Boards approved this they claim to gain more control of the project over perhaps an anticipated
8/30 proposal in the future. Let’s hold them to it. We must scrutinize and rescrutinize every aspect before shovels in the ground.
This is a soundbite.
There are so many things wrong with this plan, but I’ll just tackle one. Retail.
We would be annihilating Main Street. Aren’t we in the process of trying to figure out parking there? Paying for studies. There has been an enormous amount of time/energy/money/ public feedback. Can we openly discuss how retailers have come and gone. What’s the square footage of new retail being proposed and $?
This is just one concern of many. That’s my sound bite.
@JF exactly!
Can someone explain how the traffic works given right now it can be brutal but we can magically just double, triple, quadruple that? It doesn’t pass a sniff test. Further, parking below grade, isn’t the area already susceptible to flooding? sounds like a very bad idea.
While I have reservations about the scale (which I am self-aware enough to acknowledge likely stem from a somewhat irrational fear of change, as well as a more rational fear of the new being worse than the old, a common theme with Westport home construction), I think this is a mighty good step in the right direction, the architecture changes especially. Saugatuck has a unique charm not found elsewhere in Westport as our riverside hub, and while that is no excuse for keeping things eternally static, especially in the face of our criminally-underutilized RR Station (read Jeff Speck’s Walkable Cities for more on how the land around railroad stations is some of a town’s most valuable, but also sometimes least-utilized), I do hope that the final product incorporates more of that “maritime” feel in a way that feels… authentic, and not artificial and plasterboard-y.
Regardless, I live in eternal hope. This is a step in the right direction, and I hope we can come to a result that we as a town are satisfied with.
I agree that Saugatuck needs a spiff up. The architectural style is pleasant but the size/height and scope of the project is beyond ENORMOUS! Maybe I am screaming into the void to a town full of 7,000 square foot houses, but really, does EVERYTHING have to be oversized and overbuilt?!?
Why do we want to look like South Norwalk or Stamford? An event space next to the train station – WHY? All this retail when there are empty storefronts on Main Street and the Post Road – WHY? Underground parking – can you say flooding?!? And it will be all done by 2028 – seriously?!?
I know this has been previously approved (guess we’ll never really know how or why), but it does appear that the building specs are not yet locked in – what can we do to ensure construction that keeps Westport from becoming another crowded city?
Between your comment and India Who Ever, you win the 06880 stereotype award.
Maybe other towns and cities don’t want to be Westport?
Please don’t insult the other five Nrw England states. Westport isn’t New England, it’s more New Rochelle.
Really you loser !!!! I disagree. They in fact pass the moron sniff test. Ppl like you are out to destroy our downtown !
Pray tell !!! You sold your soul for this shit called the hamlet ?
A little question about a big sign, was that sign on top of the building saying Saugaruck really part of the plan?
Bottom line saugatucks just teetering on the edge of .. the neck of you”.
I don’t care that Joe blogs owns a single story piece of garbage we are seeing in bonus pics.
So fix your nasty piece of crap at the one story it is now !!!!
But !!!!! Because of the players involved.. and because they don’t give af what happens in Saugatuck, and I will add to this, p and z ! Someone of you are ! incredibly and un democratically aligned with a huge untransparent supporter of this.
I know one thing.
As a business owner on Main Street, I’ve been completely ignored and dissed by Mandell and Crowley. As have most others.
They both need a wake up call !
Nothing entitles you to buy a one story fire sale in 1967 and think you can x 4 it to be 4 story’s.. sell it for 500k and move
nope..
as for who is looking for the private space.. form of barn.. this is a classic … residents with friends fucking over those not so popular !
I care about me , myself and I
I don’t care to give the police dept, any say whatsoever in where ppl park.. but that crap is coming.. and do not expect the rtm to fix anything.. we are about to get fd
Almost anything would be an improvement in that area, but every time I see “Hamlet” as the name for the proposed area, I laugh. Do “hamlets” have five? six? seven? story buildings. I picture the buildings in a hamlet as much simpler and more welcoming than those proposed here. And where are all the tenants going to come from? Who will occupy the thousands of new square feet of buildings or will there just be lots of windows with partially drawn shades concealing empty rooms?
Wonderful!!!!! This place looks fantastic and look how it spruces up the area. Why would anyone complain about this beautiful property development. I’m signing up for a 2 bedroom absolutely. I was thinking Stamford but no way this is a perfect place to live out my life and it’s soo well put together I VOTE YES!!!!!