It’s official.
Spinnaker has filed a site plan and special permit application for 606 Riverside Avenue.
That’s the Saugatuck property — currently the site of Minute Men Cleaners, and nearby businesses — that was the site of the failed Hamlet proposal.
Spinnaker’s affiliate, Saugatuck TOD 606 LLC, hopes to build 142 rental apartments, and 3,838 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
Ten percent of the units would be deed-restricted as affordable to families making up to 80% of the statewide median income.
Another 10% would be deed-restricted as “workforce housing.” The affordable units are integrated throughout the building.
The façade along Riverside Avenue would be 3 1/2 stories tall. Higher buildings would be “stepped back into the site so that it is substantially less visible from the street.”
All parking — 241 spaces, 20 of which are tandem for a total of 261 cars — will be screened from view, on 2 separately accessed levels.
Spinnaker also proposes adding 10 new on-street public parking spots.
View from Riverside Avenue.
The plan follows several rounds of pre-application reviews by the Planning & Zoning Commission and Architectural Review Board.
Spinnaker says it has “also engaged in significant neighbor outreach, including written notices to nearly 90 neighbors, meetings with neighbors, the Westport Alliance for Saugatuck, local and State community leaders, neighborhood business owners, Town staff, Connecticut Department of Transportation staff and other interested parties.”
The application — received yesterday by the Planning & Zoning Department — is an important step on the journey to approval. Bodies like the P&Z, ARB and Conservation Commission have not yet scheduled hearings.
View from Franklin Street. The existing 21 Charles Street office building (left) is not part of the Spinnaker project, nor are the 2-story buildings currently on Franklin Street.
Spinnaker — a developer “focusing on transit-oriented developments” — is collaborating with Beinfield Architecture. Both firms are based in Norwalk.
Spinnaker calls its plan “contextually appropriate for Saugatuck, and grounded in a traditional and contextual vernacular.”
The developer adds that it:
- Concentrates development near transportation nodes
- Strengthens the character and economy of Saugatuck Center
- Maintains appropriate building scale and character
- Adds housing to support an active mixed-used area
- Serves empty nesters, retirees, and children of Westport residents
- Improves runoff to the Saugatuck River
- Improves pedestrian friendliness in Saugatuck Center.
View from Charles Street.
An earlier “Hamlet at Saugatuck” development was first proposed in June 2022, when ROAN Ventures submitted an application to create a new zoning district for the project.
The plan — including retail, residences, a hotel, marina and public spaces — was rejected by the Planning & Zoning Commission 3 years later. ROAN then said it was considering a residential-focused project, perhaps including 500 units of 8-30g affordable housing.
Spinnaker’s first proposal was for 175 apartments, including 18 affordable units priced for households at 80% of state median income.
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Good luck catching the train….
So it’s the Hamlet — but chintzy, with no public amenities, and leaving in place the biggest eyesores in the area. Thank your local NIMBY!
Today, despite the efforts of the best traffic cop in America, every evening cars trying to cross the Cribari Bridge back up to Railroad Place, under the train tracks and all the way down Ferry Lane. Its not quite the nightmare that I95 has become, but what should be a three minute drive looks to take 15 minutes.
What does the Alliance for Saugatuck think? They appear to be very quiet and understandably so…
I like it very much ! This design parti is miles away from the ill conceived debacle known as The Hamlet (R.I.P.)
I am tired of the perpetual persnickety opinions by folks with nothing better to do, who know nothing about this incredibly complex industry.
The Saugatuck Neighborhood, as it stands is a C+ rated hamlet at best, (I just made that up, it could be a D+ ?) which is a shame because it is a vital component of our town. I have lived in this community for 36 years and chatter about revitalizing Saugatuck was being discussed before I arrived.
The scale of this development is exactly what is needed. The proposed project includes 142 rental apartments with 20% deed restricted affordable, units on site, where they belong. Parking is all on site. Notice the architect’s Riverside Elevation, 3.5 stories, its sloped roofs, appropriate human scale, with sufficient New England style detailing, window proportions and finish materials. Also, take a closer look at the architect’s rendering (view from Franklin Street) and notice the scale of the project with respect to 21 Charles Street.
This is an excellent design solution and I suggest this community get on board with this development. The Beinfield firm is one of the best architectural firms in Fairfield County and Spinnaker is one of the best developers in Fairfield County. Compare this established, solid, well respected team with three random guys who never completed a single real estate development deal together, who proposed some fantasy Disneyland playground for the uber rich, designed by an architect from Southeast Asia, that a blind man could see from a mile away, would never pencil out !
What I have learned living in this community is; people who have acquired wealth believe along with their good fortune, automatically came knowledge and understanding of things they know nothing about. Restated; your wealth did not bring with it a Super Hero’s power of understanding complex urban planning and development. So, please stop embarrassing yourselves by trashing a very well conceived project that would be a huge asset to the community.
A development will happen in Saugatuck, it is a hamlet in desperate need of revitalization. Traffic will increase, like it or not but I would rather deal with traffic from an appropriately scaled, well conceived and well designed project that benefits the community, by providing desperately needed housing and affordable housing, as opposed to a poorly designed, inappropriate solution, jammed down our throats in a semi-fascist manner, from that former P&Z group (you know who you are) who weaponized 8-30g to frighten the community (and the RTM, except for Sal) into submission.
To the folks at Spinnaker and Beinfield; well done, congratulations !
~ Joseph V. Vallone, A.I.A.
Thanks coach for your insight, I’ll pipe down now. Always great to learn from a resident architect with deep ties to the town.
Having lived less than a mile from the train station for almost two decades as a daily commuter, it always frustrated me that there was no cohesive plan for the area. We had fits and starts, and at one time I’m sure a legit swingers club with the Blue Parrot, after Jasmine which was after the Arrow…
When I come out on MNR these days, the development along the rail line in Darien and Norwalk is impressive. If you’re an empty nester contemplating your next move, an apartment in this development on the bus route and across from the train station is pretty great.
The roads don’t support the traffic today. How do they support it after this?
The roads are packed because of people driving to and from the train station. The afternoon rush is insane.
The good news is that all these people will walk, if they’re still commuting.
If they drive for daily whatever, it’s not during the commuting crush.
I strongly oppose the proposed apartment building and retail development because I believe it would fundamentally change the character of our town while placing additional strain on resources that are already stretched.
One of my greatest concerns is the impact this developement would have on our existing small businesses. The addition of a large retail component could drive up commercial rents significantly, making it increasingly difficult for the local, independently owned shops and restaurants that give our town its unique character to remain in business. In there place we risk attracting national chain stores and corporate restaurant groups that could afford higher rents but would diminish the individuality and charm of the local business community.
Furthermore, a development this size would inevitable generate additonal traffic, creating greater congestion on roads that are already busy and putting further pressure on parking and infrastructure. Our town’s public services already burdened, and we must seriously question whether they have the capacity to accommodate the additional demands this project would create.
Progress should not come at the expense of the very qualities that make our town special. Development must be thoughtful, appropriately scaled, and in the best interest of the entire community – not simply a means of increasing density and commercial revenue.
The knee-jerk reaction to any proposed development project is always the same; traffic. Meaning; traffic will be so unbearable, it will change the equilibrium of my personal experience.
That is the same old trope used by all people (I suspect for the last 80 years) who wish to oppose progress. That was the same trope used over a decade ago to combat the Gault project, just a stone’s throw up the block.
It is a proven fact (not an opinion) multi-family residential projects generate less volume than any other type of development because residents come and go on different schedules.
Kathleen, I must respectfully challenge some of your assertions. I think “fundamentally changing the character of our town” is exactly what Saugatuck needs.
Those existing retail establishments would benefit greatly by additional neighborhood residents.
I was actually quite surprised by the limited amount of retail space being proposed, only 3,838 square feet.
That is approximately (2), tiny 1,900 SF storefronts, which for a project of this size, is negligible.
Therefore I would not be concerned at all about any competitive threat to existing businesses. Furthermore, rarely do national chain stores look for space this tiny.
Finally, this proposed design solution will generate far less traffic than the proposed Hamlet project, given the fact that the Hamlet was proposed largely a commercial establishment, a hotel, theatre, marina, club, etc., with only about 30-40 multi-million dollar, upscale condos.
This project is a win for the neighborhood.
~ Joseph V. Vallone, A.I.A.