After 10 years of clearing hurdles on a mixed-use redevelopment project in Norwalk, Head of the Harbor South L.L.C. recently signed an agreement with the city to buy a half-acre of land on Smith Street, the final piece needed to get its project off the ground.
The developer now has 90 days to file all the paperwork, including final site plans. From there, the city must approve the project before it is shovel-ready.
“This is basically a private-public partnership that allows the city and developer to move ahead with an exciting project that benefits all of Norwalk,” said Michael DiScala, managing member of Head of the Harbor South. “The intent of this redevelopment project is to reinvigorate the area to bring people back to where they once were.”
Head of the Harbor South bought the half-acre site through a private sale. The plan is to combine that space with an adjacent 1.5 acres of property the company already owns and develop 60 residential units, which will be townhouses, and 6,000 square feet of commercial office space, some of which will be used as DiScala”™s office.
“The 0.5 acre was the most recent purchase,” DiScala said. “It”™s been part of the plan to get the extra land from the city at fair market value. And we knew it had to be part of it. We are working on the design and engineering process as we speak.”
In exchange for the public property, DiScala agreed to spend a minimum of $750,000 to add amenities to the project, including a 400-foot boardwalk along the riverfront and a public plaza. The developer also plans to build a staircase from Smith Street up Mill Hill.
The project is estimated to cost $15 million and is slated to begin next spring, DiScala said.
“This is the beginning of the rebirth of our Wall Street downtown area,” said Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling. “People will be walking the streets and retailers as well as developers will now be encouraged to continue investing in the area.”
