By next summer, downtown Naugatuck will be transformed, with dozens of new apartments and a new train station.
Naugatuck’s downtown redevelopment has drawn the attention of Gov. Ned Lamont, who said it’s an example of the potential Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) hold.
“I hear a lot of speeches about transit-oriented development,” Lamont said. “You sort of have to sometimes imagine what it means. You don't have to imagine when you're here in Naugatuck. You see what it means.”
The new Water Street train station is expected to be completed in the summer.
However, the first of three apartment buildings at the Platform at Naugatuck which abuts the train line has been completed and residents recently began moving in.
Lamont spoke about the developments’ benefits at a ribbon cutting for the new apartments Monday.
“You'll be able to walk right over to the train station, go to Waterbury, Stamford, or beyond, or people coming in here for work as well,” Lamont said.
The Platform at Naugatuck is now accepting applicants. The building was approved for families to move in less than two weeks ago, according to Karmen Cheung with Pennrose, one of the project developers.
Five families are currently living in the 60-unit building, but it is expected that nearly half of the building will soon be rented out.
“While we have some finishing touches to do, there has been an overwhelming round of interest,” Cheung said. “Today is about more than just the completion of a building. It's about what can happen when a community comes together around a shared vision and is willing to do the hard work to bring that vision to life.”
Of the 60 units, a dozen are for residents earning 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Another 24 apartments are for families earning 50% AMI, including eight reserved for Section 8 voucher recipients.
Another dozen are for residents earning 80% AMI and the final dozen are market rate apartments.
Officials say the project is all a part of a transit oriented plan to revitalize downtown Naugatuck to make the town more inclusive and connected.
“Not long ago, this was a vacant site with just the potential to transform downtown Naugatuck, today that vision has made a big step in becoming reality,” Cheung said.
The second building will begin construction in early 2027 and applications for project funding for the third and final building will begin in January, according to Cheung.
In all, Platform at Naugatuck will have 180 apartments spread across three buildings and be done in 2030, Cheung said.
The state Department of Housing (DOH) contributed more than $8 million to the project.
“At the end of the day, what is important is for the families that are going to be living and are going to call this place home, are the dinner tables where kids are going to be doing their homework, our neighbors walking around, and what a beautiful place to be,” DOH Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno said.
Generations ago, when Naugatuck was an industrial hub, 10,000 people worked downtown daily, Mayor Pete Hess said.
“For years we've been talking about bringing people downtown, and now we're handing out the keys,” Hess said. “What you see is a blueprint for transit-oriented development.”
