Upscale restaurants committing to Waypointe location

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NORWALK -- For restaurateur Jeff Hardy, the upscale nature of the Waypointe district is not only the ideal place for his new business venture, but also a place to call home.

As the owner of Sedona Taphouse, one of the first restaurants that will be opening at the central piazza at Waypointe in mid-July, Hardy is looking forward to a number of things-including a short commute.

"I was so impressed by Waypointe that my wife and I will be renting here," Hardy said. "There are great demographics here and it's the perfect spot for Sedona which is an upscale tap house."

The 5,100 square foot Sedona Taphouse, a franchise with locations in Virginia, will feature more than 450 craft beers and 50 beers on draft along with hand-cut steaks and seafood.

"It's not a pub," said Hardy, the former owner of Outback Steakhouse in Wilton. "There's no 'bar food.'"

Sedona Taphouse is just one of the restaurants that will be located in Waypointe's centerpiece brick pedestrian piazza connecting West Avenue, Merwin Street and Orchard Streets.

"Around July 15 the first of the restaurants, Sedona Taphouse, will be open," said Paxton Kinol of Belpointe Capital. "We also have Colony Grill and Barcelona coming in."

Leasing is ongoing and according to the Waypointe website, the Waypointe District will contain more restaurant and café spaces than SONO. Numerous restaurants and cafes will have outdoor seating along the pedestrian street.

Upscale is a keyword for Waypointe and according to the development's residential leasing website, "Waypointe was designed with the affluent couples and families of Fairfield County in mind."

Of the 360 units at the Phase I Waypointe building at 515 West Ave. nearly all of them are rented and are moving quickly according to Kinol.

"We're basically filling up as fast as we can," Kinol said.

In response to questions about the potential inconvenience of living in a building under construction, Kinol pointed out that new lessees are being offered one month free rent.

"In April of last year we had 60 people sign leases and of those, 57 have re-signed leases," Kinol said. "There was no concession the second time."

Waypointe's upscale amenities such as train station shuttle, concierge services, cinema and billiards rooms, heated saltwater pool with sundeck, fitness center,

and landscaped dog park come at a premium.

An 807 square foot one bedroom apartment commands rents of between $1,834 and $1,904 per month; an 1,114 square foot two bedroom unit is renting at $2,237 per month; an 1,817 square foot two bedroom apartment with loft is commanding a monthly rent of $3,108.

Described as 'luxury apartments along Fairfield County's Gold Coast,' the units feature the following amenities: "The apartment homes will showcase island kitchens with stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and full size washers and dryers. Amenities will boast a 5,000 square foot fitness center, clubroom for entertaining, billiards room, game room, private movie-screening theater and WiFi lounge. Outdoor amenities include a beautifully landscaped courtyard with outdoor heated pool, grilling and fire pits, a fenced dog park and rooftop gardens."

Some of the apartments are subject to affordable housing mandates.

Adopted in January 2007, the Workforce Housing Regulation requires that 10 percent of units within developments of 20 units or more be priced as affordable, and that the units be located on-site with the market-rate housing to the maximum extent practicable. Such units must be priced within reach of households earning up to 80 percent of the state medium income.