Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Held At Harbourside SoNo

NORWALK, CT — Mayor Harry Rilling and others hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday morning at Harbourside SoNo, a new 129-unit luxury apartment community on Water Street in South Norwalk.

The project was conceptualized by the F. D. Rich Company, who jointly developed the space with Fuller Development and Spinnaker Real Estate Partners.

Tom Rich, president of the F.D. Rich Company, welcomed a small group of city employees and other attendees to the grand opening ceremony, noting that "permission to come aboard" had officially been granted.

"Five years in the making," Rich said, "this spectacular building and all the good things that have and will continue to flow from this effort for many years to come would not have been possible without the significant contributions put forth, really, by all of you standing out here today."

Rich joked that he and Rilling had seen each other at many groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremonies recently, and other towns might start to grow jealous of Norwalk's continued growth.

He also took time to acknowledge the property's history, which he said spans over 200 years.

"This property has had the proverbial nine lives," Rich said. "Throughout most of its [over 200] year history, no surprise it was used for manufacturing. On this site was a hat factory, a shoe factory, a paint shop, a blacksmith, a steam laundry, an electric motor repair shop and the Norwalk foam pillow company."

About three years ago as work was underway on Harbourside, Rich came across hundreds of buried glazed ceramic doorknobs on the Water Street site, which piqued his curiosity.

"A door knob factory was not listed in the [site's] history," Rich said. "Research will tell you that's because these were made well before an accurate account of prior uses on this property were kept. Who knew that in the 1800's, Norwalk was known for its ceramics and pottery?"

With the future opening of Harbourside in mind, Rich collected several of the door knobs and was able to bring them to the ribbon cutting ceremony for attendees to view.

"When you look at [them], I hope you will remember this special day," Rich said, "and then you also remember that in life, when one door closes, another one is sure to open."

Clayton Fowler, CEO of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, also spoke during the ceremony, attributing Norwalk's growth to Rilling and his staff, the former of which he referred to as "a mayor of the people."

Rilling took time to thank his staff and others in attendance while attributing Norwalk's vibrancy to people like Rich and Fowler.

"We're moving forward, and if you look around Norwalk and you see what's happening, I know you'll agree," Rilling said. "In my wildest dreams, I never would have envisioned this place at this location ten years ago, but it takes vision, it takes commitment and it takes dedication to a city and investing in a city, and we appreciate the investments that our private sector, our developers are making, because we couldn't do it alone. We have to work together to keep Norwalk growing and keep Norwalk growing better to make it the best it could possibly be."

According to a news release, Harbourside SoNo features an expansive amenity package, including Norwalk's only rooftop pool, which features panoramic harbor and Long Island Sound views.

Other features include alfresco dining areas with grills and fire pits, a rooftop party room with a fire place and catering kitchen, a club room with an adjacent outdoor terrace, a resident lounge with entertaining kitchen and billiards table, a state-of-the-art fitness center with an attached yoga studio, a private conference room and plentiful on-site parking with electric vehicle charging stations.

Apartment types include one-bedroom and spacious two-bedroom spaces. The community is also pet-friendly, featuring a private dog-run along the perimeter of the property.

Black Bear Wines and Realty ONE have both leased 1,100 square feet, with the remaining 1,800 square feet available for a third commercial tenant.

The building was designed by Beinfield Architecture and brought to life by Gooding Architecture. M&T Bank supplied project financing.