Town of Old Saybrook to Partner with Dock and Dine on Grant Application

October 6, 2022 Old Saybrook, CT — After a decade of vacancy, the Town of Old Saybrook and the owner of the property where Dock and Dine was formerly located, Jon Kodama’s The Point, LLC, have joined forces through an innovative public/private partnership to help revitalize the long-dormant area through application for a CT Communities Challenge Grant sponsored by the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).

Through the program, it is expected that The Point, LLC and its investors will contribute approximately $3.2 million while the town will contribute $600,000 with the goal of receiving $3.7 million through the grant program, which requires a 50% match in communities like Old Saybrook that are not considered distressed municipalities.

This collaboration calls for reestablishment of a year-round restaurant on the property and grants a permanent easement to the town to the waterfront area of the property, including use of the existing waterfront deck. The town intends to use this easement to repair the seawall and deck and to construct a riverfront walkway connecting the town-owned properties on either side of the Dock and Dine property and extending it through Gardiner’s Landing to a scenic overlook. Expansion of fishing access as well as enhanced landscaping, including a Pollinator Pathway garden, will be part of the town improvements, while the whole site will benefit from environmental and landscaping improvements that will reduce the asphalt area to provide better drainage. This renovation is in alignment with a recent strategic plan for the area established by the Parks & Recreation Commission as well as the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development.

The CT Communities Challenge Grant Program is a competitive grant application process intended to fund multiple projects in an effort to improve livability, vibrancy, convenience and appeal to communities throughout the state, while creating up to 3,000 new jobs. The program seeks to promote public/private partnerships that will provide an investment in the community through transformative projects. If the Town of Old Saybrook is awarded the grant funding, it is expected that this project will create 50-75 construction-related jobs and 60-80 year-round restaurant jobs with up to 120 employees in the summer months. The deadline for grant applications is October 7 and applicants will be notified of awards in December. Should Old Saybrook receive the grant, this will prove to be a significant and beneficial economic step for the community. The investment of a private partner with the town to leverage significant funding to provide permanent public access to an important waterfront resource is a rare opportunity that the town is happy to be able to take advantage of.

Carl P. Fortuna, Jr., first selectman for the Town of Old Saybrook notes, “Though the money is not guaranteed, we feel that we have a strong application that will truly be transformative for this iconic area of Old Saybrook. We are especially grateful to have the opportunity, through the permanent easement granted by the property owner, to expand and enhance public access to this beautiful riverfront area for all to enjoy. If given the opportunity, we are excited to work with Jon Kodama and his team to solidify the Saybrook Point area as a destination for residents and guests of our community.”

Jon Kodama offers the following, “We are excited to work with the Town of Old Saybrook to bring the Dock and Dine property back to glory. The property has been a longstanding restaurant site since the 1930s. The public/private partnership will ensure that the property can once again become a top waterfront dining destination in New England.”

The former Dock and Dine property, located at 145 College Street in Old Saybrook, has a long and storied history in the community. Until 2012 when Superstorm Sandy damaged the restaurant beyond repair, it had been home to a restaurant for more than 70 years. Many residents and visitors have fond memories of enjoying a meal there with family and friends or attending a special event. The current owner has been the property’s steward since 1987. Many in the area will recall that when the restaurant was heavily damaged in 2011 by Hurricane Irene, Mr. Kodama invested $1 million to renovate and reopen the restaurant in 2012 only to have it destroyed one month later. In the intervening years, Mr. Kodama has investigated rebuilding the restaurant from time to time, with various challenges and the more recent advent of the COVID-19 pandemic hindering that process. For the past two years, with another local business partner, he had been seeking to develop a seasonal outdoor dining establishment, Smoke on the Water, as a way to revitalize the now dilapidated property. With the public/private partnership seeking grant funding, the Smoke on the Water application has been withdrawn.

The grant application has received support from a number of key community members and organizations including the Town’s legislative delegation, Senators Norm Needleman and Paul Formica and State Representative Devin Carney, as well as the Lower Connecticut River Valley Conference of Governments, the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center and the Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce.