Westport – The grand brick, stone, and timber building on Richmondville Boulevard got its start in the early 19th century as a lumber mill. Since then, it has served as a home for other businesses and a space for artists.
Now, it’s coming full circle, sort of, in its latest iteration as The Mill Westport, a planned luxury condominium complex with units starting at just under $1 million and going up to $3.85 million.
“With great architectural design and contemporary aesthetics, The Mill Westport will be a higher cut in luxury design,” said Joe Finlip, Director of Coastal Luxury Homes, one of the companies involved in the project. “Expansive amenity spaces and ready-made living provide a unique residential experience in the heart of Westport.”
The project is located on an area of 2.41 acres, which includes buildings, parking, small dog park, swimming pool and surrounding gardens and terraces. There are 31 units planned, ranging from $995,000 to $3.85 million. It features a mix of one to three bedroom units in either neo-modern or neo-classical styles.
There are also common spaces, including a large room, café, patio, rooftop deck, hot tub, health and wellness center, and concierge service.
Sales have just begun with units expected to be completed by early 2023. The project comes as Westport attempts to diversify its housing stock.
Alex Chingas, the property’s listing agent, said a few units are already under contract.
“This building – along with the Bankside project – represents the first new condos developed in Westport in several years,” said Danielle Dubin, Chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee.
First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker said the project is an alternative to single-family living and associated upkeep.
“It also offers a multi-family housing option in a residential zoning area, distinct by mail where most other similar developments are,” she said.
Chingas said other apartments in the city are generally townhouses, as opposed to a full-service building. He said that the facility’s 10,000-square-foot area and the fact that the project is a renovation are also unique.
And while the market price units will not contribute to the city’s affordable housing inventory, the project does include some elements of off-site affordability.
Westport zoning regulations require 20 percent of total units in multi-family projects to be affordable, or that the developer provide affordable housing off-site in compelling cases with the site and design approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
In this case, the developer renovated a historic town-owned building on Riverside Boulevard and provided the equivalent of affordable units needed there instead, offering them to adults with disabilities, and providing living space for one employee. Officials said four rented at 40 percent of the average income in the area and one rented at 60 percent of the average income in the area.
The city approved this project back in 2019.
Dubin said the project also showcases the value of public hearings because the developer has worked with immediate neighbors to address their concerns, including those related to altitude and traffic.
“The public hearings provide an opportunity for neighbors and applicants to work together to create positive change with community acceptance,” she said.
Tooker and Dobin said they were pleased to see the former mill restored.
“It always seems like a victory to preserve historic buildings of this scale and to reuse them adaptively,” Dubin said. “It often takes a lot of funding and design sensitivity to ensure that an antique structure is not demolished. Here, the design team was really able to preserve and enhance the historical elements while creating a modern project.”
She said it has an interesting history and could end up as more office space or demolished for single family homes due to its history and inspiration.
The restoration included removing additions put in the 1950s and 1960s and adding historic symmetrical windows, which helped the building look more like it did in the 19th century. New additions that will go into the rear and north side of the building will play alongside the factory’s former aesthetic, according to a statement from the company.
“This is a great project,” Tucker said. “The adaptive reuse of the Lee’s Mill Building at 41 Richmondville Ave. will allow an important part of Westport’s manufacturing history to be preserved and to complete environmental restoration activities.”
Those associated with the project are also promoting its offerings to potential residents.
“Location is everything,” said Sam Gault, president of Gault Family Companies, one of the companies involved in the project. “From stunning downtown events like the Levitt Pavilion’s Fine Arts Festival and concerts to getting away from some of the city’s best restaurants, residents of The Mill will enjoy the best of both worlds; a neighborhood, easy-to-walk place with access to all that Westport has to offer.”
More information is available at www.themillwestport.com. Bross Chingas Bross, which operates the sales, is a subsidiary of Coldwell Banker Realty Global Luxury’s headquarters in Westport.
