This morning’s Roundup included 4 photos that we identified as computer-generated images of Spinnaker’s proposed Saugatuck development.
They’re part of the packet that Beinfield Architecture will present at next Tuesday’s Architectural Review Board meeting (May 26, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall room 309).
The images were identified incorrectly. They’re actually part of a new Spinnaker project in Norwalk, called Ardea Pointe, near a cemetery.
They were included in the ARB packet next to Beinfield’s artist renderings of that project, to show the resemblance to what is actually built.
Here is a screenshot of the packet. Beinfield’s drawings are on the left; Spinnaker’s completed Norwalk project are on the right.
“06880” apologies for the error, the misinformation, and any confusion.
Meanwhile, here are 2 renderings of Spinnaker’s Saugatuck proposal. The first view is of Riverside Avenue, looking toward the train station with Charles Street on the left.
The second is a view of Railroad Place (left), and Riverside Avenue (center and right).
The Architectural Review Board gets its first look at the proposed development of 606 Riverside Avenue — the Minute Man Dry Cleaners property — next Tuesday (May 26, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall, Room 307/309).
Spinnaker Real Estate recently bought the parcel — and a nearby parking lot where boats are now stored — following the Planning & Zoning Commission’s rejection of the Hamlet at Saugatuck project.
Among the computer-generated designs to be considered:
The ARB will also discuss proposed façade modifications, solar panels and lighting at 520 Post Road East — the former nail salon next to Five Guys (and before that, a pancake house). The new proposed use is a Pilates studio.
Board of Education chair Lee Goldstein won the Democratic Party endorsement for State Representative of the 136th District last night.
She beat Representative Town Meeting member Matthew Mandell, 38 votes to 10. The two Westporters vied to replace Jonathan Steinberg, who is retiring.
The process allows for a primary. Mandell heads to Town Hall today, to pick up petitions.
Goldstein vowed to fight for and represent “this vibrant community we love, and for a Connecticut that remains dynamic, compassionate, and full of opportunity.”
She said she will work to protect and strengthen public schools, invest in infrastructure, preserve the environment, and ensure the state budget reflects the values and pressures facing Connecticut residents and towns.
Goldstein highlighted the increasing importance of fighting for reproductive rights, gun control, and civil liberties, saying, “At a time of federal hostility, we will defend our fundamental rights, safety, and freedoms.”
Lee Goldstein and Matthew Mandell
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A Cross Highway construction project will restrict access to residents only, beginning next month.
The small bridge near Wakeman Town Farm and the Wakeman athletic fields will be replaced. Cross Highway will be closed between North Avenue and Bayberry Lane, after students’ last day of school on June 18.
Local residents can access their roads. But through traffic will not be allowed.
The project will last 6 to 8 weeks. The road is planned to reopen by the end of August, before school starts.
The contractor, FGB Construction, has already put up signs announcing the work. Electronic signs will be placed there too.
Access to Wakeman Town Farm and the Wakeman fields is available, as always, through Bedford Middle School on North Avenue.
Questions? Contact town engineer Keith Wilberg: 203-341-1128; kwilberg@westportct.gov.
Cross Highway bridge. (Photo courtesy of Google Street View)
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You never know what kind of art you’ll see at the Westport Library.
And this spring, Artists Collective of Westport members didn’t know what they were creating, either.
48 artists received a printout of a single 12″ x 12″ section of a much larger, 6-foot high by 8-foot high work, and a blank panel. Each reimagined it, in his or her own way, using any medium they chose.
The result is “Piece by Piece” — a “vibrant and often surprising mosaic of styles, perspectives, and artistic voices … a playful yet powerful celebration of community, creativity, and collaboration. As the individual pieces come together, the larger image is gradually revealed, reminding viewers that every contribution plays a role in the creation of something greater than itself.”
It’s one of 2 Artists Collective exhibits opening at the Library on June 4 (6 to 8 p.m.). “Piece by Piece” will be unveiled at 7.
“Piece by Piece”
The other exhibit is “American Journeys,” an all-member exhibition inspired by America’s 250th birthday. The title reflects the idea that there is no single American journey, but rather a tapestry of countless personal paths, experiences, struggles and triumphs that together define the American story.
75 Collective members contributed works. All are available for purchase.
Speaking of the Library: A quarter century of “Shrek” came to life last night there.
Roger Schulman — co-writer of the iconic animated fantasy comedy — spoke with Sacred Hart University professor of communication, media and the arts Todd Barnes.
Schulmanl discussed his journey from journalism to Hollywood — and took the audience behind the Shrek scenes.
Roger Schulman (right), Professor Todd Barnes, and the Shrek franchise. (Photo/Susan Garment)
Speaking of entertainment: As the Westport Pops Concert nears — it’s June 5 (7 p.m., Levitt Pavilion) — the Staples Music Parents Associates announces a partnership with Romanacci’s.
Meals are available by pre-order only (click here). A portion of the meal price supports Staples Music. The deadline is May 29.
There are no food trucks in the Levitt Pavilion parking lot. However, the Oggi gelato cart will be on site.
The lawn opens at 6 p.m. (BYO lawn chair). Pre-show groups begin performing at 6. The main show starts at 7 p.m.
Tickets are free, though a suggested donation of $15 per ticket helps offset production costs. Donations in lieu of tickets can be made at the same (new) Stpales Music website — click here.
Compo Beach got a “C” grade, while Burying Hill Beach and Sherwood Island both earned “B”s, in Save the Sound’s analysis of water samples during the 2025 swimming season.
55 of 72 public and private Long Island Sound beaches in Connecticut (76%) received an A or B.
Last summer, water quality samples at Compo Beach failed 9% of the time. The rates for Burying Hill and Sherwood Island were 7 and 3%, respectively.
Burying Hill Beach closure last summer. (Photo/Seth Schachter)
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Mark Shapiro is buying a stake in another pro team.
This time it’s in the NFL.
The Westporter will join with his sports and entertainment industry partner Ari Emanuel in a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. The deal is expected to close this month. The current ownership group includes Michael Dell and Tom Brady.
Shapiro’s NFL ties run deep. In 2005 he acquired Monday Night Football while running programming and production at ESPN. He later created the NFL Honors.
Shapiro also led Endeavor Group Holdings’ acquisition of On Location, the NFL’s exclusive hospitality provider. Shapiro is also a minority owner of MLS soccer team Los Angeles FC.
Emanuel and Shapiro are longtime business partners. Shapiro is now president and COO of TKO (comprising UFC, WWE, PBR, On Location and IMG), president and managing partner of WME Group, principal investor and board member of MARI (owner of the Miami Open, Madrid Open, Frieze and TodayTix), and is involved with WME Basketball.
Mark Shapiro — StartUp Westport’s 2025 Innovator of the Year — was interviewed at the Westport Library by Sara Eisen of CNBC.
The Bedford Middle School 6th grader placed first — and won $600 — in the World of 8 Billion International Student Video Contest. The event, sponsored by Population Connection, drew thousands of entries from teens in 63 countries around the world.
Her 60-second video, “Hanging by a Thread,”tackles environmental challenges created by fast fashion, and proposes the use of biodegradable fabrics in clothing production as a key to a more sustainable future.
This year’s contest challenged students to explore how population growth intersects with three critical global issues: wetlands, energy and economics.
Contest officials said, “Katherine Rose’s entry stood out for its smart analysis of fast fashion as well as its colorful animation.”
But when Spinnaker Real Estate bought 2 of the properties that had been slated for development — the rectangle anchored by Minute Man Cleaners, and the private parking lot now filled with boats above Luciano Park — Westporters knew that new ideas would be proposed.
Today, we have our first look at Spinnaker’s plans.
The Norwalk-based firm has filed a pre-application with the Planning & Zoning Commission. It includes 157 units of rental apartments, with a mixed-use component, on the 1.5-acre parcel at the corner of Riverside Avenue and Charles Street (the current dry cleaners, locksmith and parking lot). Eighteen — a bit over 10% — of the units would be affordable, based on state definitions.
The view from Riverside Avenue. Charles Street is on the right.
Working with Beinfield Architecture — a firm that has designed many multi-family buildings (including The Mill on Richmondville Avenue), residential homes, restaurants and offices in the area — Spinnaker envisions buildings of varying heights.
Those facing Riverside Avenue would be 3 1/2 stories. Buildings behind it would be taller.
Two levels of screened parking would accommodate 283 vehicles.
The view looking at Railroad Place. The train station is at far left.
Spinnaker’ traffic engineers, AKRF, say that an initial review suggests the plan would generate “substantially fewer vehicle trips than earlier submittals.” A full analysis is underway now.
Construction staging would be done at Spinnaker’s other property, the lot on Franklin Street currently used for boat storage.
The plan also includes environmental remediation of the site (before its current use as a dry cleaners, it was a car dealership), along with right-of-way and pedestrian improvements.
Along with the P&Z pre-app, a preliminary presentation to the Architectural Review Board is planned for later this month.
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But 2 of the properties proposed for that redevelopment project recently changed hands.
As first reported by Westport Journal, Spinnaker Real Estate Partners — a Norwalk-based commercial real estate firm that has developed mixed-use properties in South Norwalk and New Haven — bought 606 Riverside Avenue for $12.795 million, and 96 Franklin Street for $3.25 million.
The larger Riverside Avenue site includes Minutemen Cleaners and 2 other businesses. Previously, it was an automobile dealership. The smaller nearby property is a parking lot.
Spinnaker has not yet disclosed plans for the site. They did not respond to requests for comment.
Some residents applauded some parts of the proposal, developed by ROAN Ventures. Others found it too dense, too massive, too out of character for the neighborhood.
New commercial development in the area — particularly around dilapidated 606 Riverside Avenue — could be the next step for Spinnaker. It would follow the renovation pioneered by Gault that brought the Whelk, other businesses and apartments to the area near Bridge Square (and which, when proposed, was also hotly debated).
New apartments a few steps from the train station could attract both young people, and older Westporters looking to downsize. Spinnaker has experience with transit-oriented development: Their Platform apartments are just steps from the South Norwalk station.
Spinnaker’s “The Platform” apartments, by the South Norwalk train station. They include studios, and 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms.
Hamlet’s hotel idea was welcomed by some. Others questioned the economics of a boutique property with just a few dozen rooms, in the shadow of I-95.
After the P&Z squelched the Hamlet, ROAN threatened a massive 8-30g affordable housing development. They later withdrew that plan.
Spinnaker has not previously pursued 8-30g projects. Their work leans toward projects like SoNo Central, a 150-unit apartment building with 3,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, and The Audubon, luxury apartments near Yale New Haven Hospital and the Audubon Arts District.
ROAN proposed to renovate and “re-skin” the 21 Charles Street office building opposite Zucca Gastrobar. The structure has been a thorn in the side of many locals. Spinnaker did not buy that property, however.
Spinnaker’s purchases also did not include any riverfront property. ROAN’s plans for water taxis were derided by some. Others liked the idea of a marina, and the concept of opening up the river — now hidden behind nondescript buildings, and a boatyard.
One of the Hamlet’s marina plans.
All of which is to say: Saugatuck development may soon be back in the news.
In which case, it will share headlines with another Saugatuck project: the future of the Cribari Bridge.
The 2 would not be related — except for their impact on traffic through the area.
That is an important consideration.
One of ROAN’s proposals involved rethinking and synchronizing traffic lights, from I-95 Exit 17 down Charles Street and Riverside Avenue, to the bridge.
Whatever Spinnaker decides, that would be a welcome step toward solving some of the thorniest issues Saugatuck has seen in its long, storied history.
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