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For Immediate Release
October 12, 2006 |
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Cong. Shays & 1st Selectman
Flatto Announce Next Step in Landmark Fairfield Metro Project
Bridgeport, CT – Congressman Christopher Shays (R-CT)
and Fairfield First Selectman Ken Flatto today announced that
federal dollars have reimbursed Fairfield for a $3.75 million
commuter parking lot that is part of the landmark development
project midway between New Haven and Stamford.
In a joint statement, Shays and Flatto said that the Town
has officially acquired title to an 8.833-acre parcel that
will contain commuter parker adjacent to a new Metro North
railroad station that is part of the $350 million, 35-acre
development project. The $3.75 million purchase has been entirely
reimbursed by the federal government along with an additional
$250,000 for preliminary site clean-up.
Blackrock Realty LLC, an affiliate of Westport-based Wittek
Development, is the developer of the project, located just
off Interstate 95 at Exit 24.
In conjunction with the purchase of the property, the Town
of Fairfield and Blackrock Realty also executed a 99-year
ground lease for an additional 1.58-acre parcel, also for
commuter parking.
"The significance of this purchase can not be underestimated,"
Shays said. "It has taken the Town and the developer
many years to get to this point. We now will see an increasing
surge of action as the long, careful planning finally pays
off. I am gratified that federal dollars are spurring the
project into high gear."
“Let there be no mistake about it,” Flatto said.
“This project now is becoming a reality. It will be
a huge economic benefit to the Town of Fairfield as well as
the entire region. I am committed to doing everything possible
to move this project toward completion as rapidly as possible.”
Purchase of the land by the Town was a key step in the project,
which will include a signature Hilton Hotel, 800,000 square-feet
of World Class office space plus more than 60,000 square feet
of retail, fitness center and spa – and parking for
those who work and visit the complex
The Connecticut Department of Transportation has agreed to
fund approximately $40 million in road and rail improvements.
– about 80 percent of that money coming from the federal
government.
“There is a multi-year waiting list for Fairfield residents
trying to get a parking sticker to use our existing railroad
commuter parking lots,” Flatto said. “The new
commuter parking should finally eliminate that list and take
about 1,500 cars off our local streets and area highways in
the process.”
"The project is a perfect example of how a public-private
partnership can help ease traffic congestion along the clogged
commuter corridors in Fairfield County while at the same time
creating new jobs and related economic benefits for the entire
region," Shays said. "The project also is an example
of ‘green' development, not only because it links the
workplace with public transportation, but because of the effort
being made to design energy efficiencies into the project,
making it truly green and healthy for everyone who works there."
“Our objective is for the entire development to qualify
for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification
immediately upon completion,” said Kurt J. Wittek, President
of Wittek Development. “This project will be a showpiece
for our company as well as the community.”
The U.S. Green Building Council, a national coalition that
promotes construction of buildings that are environmentally
responsible as well as healthy places to live and work, bestows
LEED certification of buildings after an independent panel
of experts reviews all aspects of energy use at the project.
The project is expected to be complete in 2009.
Contact: Sarah Moore, 202/225-5541
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