FAIRFIELD — For nearly 20 years, there has been a plan to bring a hotel, office and commercial space to the area surrounding the Fairfield Metro train station.
But it wasn’t until Monday’s groundbreaking that those long-awaited plans — along with the addition of hundreds of apartments — made a huge step toward becoming a reality on Ash Creek Boulevard.
Jack Klugmann, the president and founder of Accurate in New Jersey, which purchased the property earlier this year, said his company has done many different groundbreakings, but it is rare he and his colleagues are excited to be attending one.
“Over here, we felt that it was not just important,” he said. “It was something that we wanted to do. We’re going to make this project come true. I wanted to share that excitement and enthusiasm that we have.”
Shovels dug into earth as town and state officials, as well as developers from Accurate, marked the beginning of work on the mixed-used project at the Fairfield Metro Station. The development aims to build 357 apartments, a 118-room hotel, 70,000 square feet of office space and 40,000 square feet of retail space.
The location is bordered by open space and Ash Creek, with walking trails and is within walking distance to restaurant row in Black Rock as well as other stores.
Klugmann said he loves the location of the project, calling a passing train the best amenity the development will have. He said the company plans to stay around after the mixed-use development is complete to run and maintain it.
“We’re not going anywhere,” he said. “We’re part of your community.”
First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said she was “incredibly excited” to be breaking ground on the project. She noted she was on the Representative Town Meeting when the town entered into an agreement with the state and a developer for the property.
“Twenty years ago, and it’s actually happening,” she said.
Kupchick said she and other town officials were skeptical when Klugmann, the third developer of the project, came into the picture. But, she said, other towns who have worked with Accurate gave them glowing remarks.
Kupchick said she told Klugmann she wants a rooftop bar at the hotel, and he said he would make it happen. She said the development is a big deal for the town.
“This is the largest piece of property that has been undeveloped,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing this built. I can’t wait to have a cocktail on the rooftop bar with anyone who wants to join me.”
It has been almost two decades since Blackrock Realty proposed a massive development around Fairfield’s third train station with the goal of making it a hub of commuter and shopping activity. Initially proposed in 2005, the development was to consist of roughly 1 million square feet of mostly office space with a mix of retail and hotel elements.
Developers had wanted to pre-lease a large portion of the office space before starting construction. They eventually found that demand for that space dried up after the economy crashed around 2008.
As a result, Blackrock Realty’s plans went through a series of revisions as developers tried to find the best use for the space. Among the changes were proposals for a five-story, 197-unit apartment building.
Development of the site has long been a topic of debate between Fairfield officials who say the site, the former foundry off lower Black Rock Turnpike, has been dormant for too long.
Blackrock Realty contributed $5.4 million to the construction of the station in exchange for the rights to build its initial commercial and residential project connected to the station.
Klugmann said there will not be delays in the project like there were under previous developers, noting they have their permits and have started work. He said the development has taken so long to get off the ground because of how many parties and moving parts were involved with it.
He expects one of the five apartment buildings to be completed first.
“It’s hard to bring such a big project to fruition,” he said, adding Accurate will get the job done. “We’ve done it in other places. We hope to have our first (certificate of occupancy) in about 12 to 14 months.”
Joshua.LaBella@hearstmediact.com
