In an effort to revitalize the long vacant Dock and Dine Property, the town of Old Saybrook and the owner of 145 College Street have announced a plan to seek state funding to open a year-round restaurant on the vacant property.

Property owner Jon Kodama withdrew his application from The Point, LLC, which would have turned the former Dock and Dine property into a seasonal outdoor barbecue restaurant, Smoke on the Water. The application was set to be heard by the Zoning Commission at a Oct. 11 meeting.

However, at a Sept. 26 Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting, First Selectman Carl Fortuna told the board that Kodama had agreed to withdraw his application as a sign of good faith and work with the town on applying for a $7 million grant that would allow for an indoor restaurant to be built on the site.

The grant, if awarded, would come via a CT Communities Challenge Grant sponsored by the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD). The Point, LLC and its investors would contribute approximately $3.2 million while Old Saybrook would contribute $600,000 with the goal of receiving $3.7 million through the grant program. The program requires a 50 percent match in communities like Old Saybrook which are not considered “distressed municipalities,” according to a press release issued by Fortuna.

The Board of Finance (BOF) unanimously approved the application at its Oct. 4 meeting.

If awarded, the grant would allow for reconstruction of the sea wall in the area, an easement allowing for pedestrian access, and the rebuilding of a deck along the river. Kodama would then build a permanent year-round indoor restaurant.

“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,” according to a press release issued by Fortuna.

Anticipated upgrades to the area would include a pollinator garden, expanded fishing access, and allow for better drainage.

Fortuna also said in the release that the project would lead to “...50-75 construction-related jobs and 60-80 year-round restaurant jobs with up to 120 employees in the summer months.”

Fortuna told the BOF the town expects to hear back on if the grant was received by December.

“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,” Fortuna wrote in a statement. “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.”

In the statement issued by Fortuna, Kodama said, “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.”

Redeveloping the Dock and Dine property has been a goal for almost 10 years. The popular restaurant stood at Saybrook Point until the double whammy of Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012 rendered the restaurant inoperable. The property has remained vacant despite on and off interest in redeveloping the area over the last decade.

Last year Kodama and Colt Taylor proposed building Smoke on the Water. Since the property is located in a flood zone the proposal called for the restaurant to use mobile trailers for food prep, office, storage, restrooms, refrigeration which would have allowed for the trailers to be hauled away in the event of a severe storm. The restaurant would have been be open for a maximum of 180 days between April and November per the application.

A similar proposal was voted down by the commission in 2021 due to a lack of required information in application that prevented technical staff from reviewing that proposal. The application was resubmitted in 2022 before it was withdrawn ahead of the Oct. 11 zoning commission meeting.

Not everyone was excited by the prospect of an outdoor barbecue restaurant. More than 70 residents of the North Cove neighborhood signed a petition objecting to the proposal based on expressed concerns about odors, noise, parking at Saybrook Point, and other related issues. At the meeting on Sept. 26, Fortuna said while he didn’t want to speak either in favor or against the smoke on the water idea, he acknowledged the application was equally controversial as it was exciting.