Private docks line the Saugatuck River.
The Whelk and Rive Bistro have them too.
In the works: another.
Westport’s newest dock could be a game-changer for downtown.
Arezzo Restaurant’s owners have applied to the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection to build a dock at the northern end of their outdoor patio, just below the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge.
The 56-foot long structure would allow boaters to tie up, step ashore and dine. Two slips would be open to the non-patron public.
And, the application says, a tour boat could offer diners a special course: a trip along the river.
The new dock would be constructed at the northern end (right) of Arezzo’s outdoor dining area. (Photo/Sarathi Roy)
According to plans filed with DEEP, the 2-pile dock will have “minimal impact to the sediment.” It will connect to an existing seawall. There are no tidal wetlands in the area.
After DEEP and the Army Corps of Engineers review and sign off on the plan, it would go to agencies overseeing fish and wildlife.
Town permitting would follow. It’s in the the coastal area management zone, but Westport officials have jurisdiction only from the mean high water line to the land.
Aerial view, with dock plans. (Image courtesy of LandTech)
LandTech — the planners and engineers for the project — says that once necessary permits have been granted, construction would probably be done in the winter.
The dock would add new activity and life to that section of the west bank of the Saugatuck.
But it would not be the first time such a structure was there.
A century and a half ago, wharves — including those owned by Horace Staples, who lived diagonally across the street — carried onions, ax handles and other products down the river, and on to New York and Boston.
To see the entire DEEP application, click here.
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