By Gretchen Webster and John H. Palmer

Representatives of the development company planning to build the “Hamlet” mixed-use project in Saugatuck have confirmed the 2023 purchase of two private islands off the coast of mainland Norwalk, as well as plans to offer charter adventures to the islands as an attraction for their tenants and visitors.

Details of what, if any, development is planned on the islands are “preliminary,” according to Rodrigo Real, co-founder and partner of ROAN Development Ventures, L.L.C. Real was a guest panelist at a roundtable forum about Saugatuck hosted by Westport Journal May 7, and made comments alluding to the firm’s purchase of the islands.

“We bought two islands in Norwalk,” Real told audience members when talking about the developer’s interest in waterfront recreation. “The water informs everything we do.”

A close-up of Calf Pasture Island in Norwalk shows an A-frame home and trees that have been part of the island for many years. Photo by Mark Molesworth.

The “Hamlet at Saugatuck,” as the project is being called, will consist of a multi-use development of 11 buildings, including retail, hotel and residential buildings between the Saugatuck River, Charles Street, Franklin Street and Railroad Place. Some 14 off-site “below market” housing units would be contributed by the developer under the plan.

Islands add offshore allure as a Hamlet amenity

The acquisitions include Calf Pasture Island, a roughly 1.5-acre island located about a half mile offshore, and as the closest island to the mainland is easily viewed from Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk with an A-frame structure and several trees.

A search on the Norwalk Tax Assessor’s office confirms the sale of the island in July 2023 for $2 million from Stamford architect Robert Nowinski, who has owned the island as a part-time home since 1995. The sale was recorded under the name “Calf Pasture Island, L.L.C.” listing 609 Riverside Avenue as the address, the same as ROAN’s office in Westport.

Also included is Betts Island, a 4-acre island about a mile offshore, known for a land bridge that connects the two halves of the island during low tides and a protected cove area that boaters frequent.

Betts Island under Norwalk property records is listed as two separate properties, as each of the two halves of the island are owned separately. ROAN Ventures purchased one half of the island in December 2023 for $2.25 million under the name “Betts Island, L.L.C.” with an address in Easton.

“It has a protected cove, and that’s part of what we like about it,” Real said about Betts Island. “We plan to highlight the history (of the Norwalk Islands). It’s really an excellent place.”

Plans for the islands still in early stages

While Real says it’s “preliminary” to talk about development plans on the islands, according to the Hamlet’s online promotional information, the acquisition is already a done deal. Visitors to the site will see the references to the Hamlet’s two private islands “just minutes from the mainland” and features a map of the Norwalk and Westport coastline with “Calf Pasture Island” and “Betts Island” included on it, as well as the Peck Ledge Lighthouse, a sparkplug lighthouse in Norwalk waters. Rumors have been circulating that ROAN purchased the lighthouse, but Real would only say that they are interested in it.

A view of Calf Pasture Island off Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk. To the left of the island is Peck Ledge lighthouse. Photo by Mark Molesworth.

The website claims that electric boats will be used to shuttle visitors to and from the islands from the development’s expanded marina along the Saugatuck River.

“The Hamlet’s two unique islands and lighthouse aim to offer the ultimate waterside escape,” the website reads. “Enjoy all that the Connecticut coastline and Long Island Sound has to offer – whether for a day-long adventure or a sunset cruise, each island offers an unforgettable experience for those seeking something truly special.”

The website makes no mention of whether new structures would be built on the island, or if existing structures would be renovated. There are no public utilities on the islands and access is restricted to boat traffic only. It’s also unclear if the islands would be open to the public for recreation as part of the developer’s “hospitality” plans which include several waterfront hotels, restaurants, retail spaces, the expanded marina.

Real told Westport Journal Friday that “it is premature” to discuss the developer’s plans for use of the islands during a visit to their Riverside Avenue offices, especially since the Hamlet project has not yet been approved by the town. The Planning and Zoning Commission, Conservation Commission, and other town officials are currently in the public hearing and approval stages of reviewing the Hamlet application, and are expected to make final decisions on the development sometime in early summer.

“A lot of the public doesn’t actually know they (the islands) are out there, to be honest,” he said. “I’ve met people who have lived in Westport for 10 years and unless they are exposed to them they don’t know about them.”

Real said that regardless of the outcome of the Hamlet application, the firm still will retain ownership of the islands, and would plan some sort of “low key renovation” to the islands.

“It’s meant to be more enjoyed (in its current state),” he said. “The seasonality is a thing, and we want to do something that is as low impact as possible. It’s actually quite pretty out there even in winter.”

He said that final programming still needs to be worked out, and there may be deals worked out to offer charters out from points in Norwalk.

“Cove Marina would be an easy launching pad for us,” he said. “We look at this as a Connecticut project for us, not just Westport.”

Norwalk Islands are steeped in local history and beauty

The Norwalk Islands, formed by retreating glaciers more than 17,000 years ago, are a chain of more than 25 islands in Long Island Sound that have long been a place of recreation for local boaters, campers, and kayakers, and served as hiding places for pirates to hide their bounties as well as local rumrunners during Prohibition. They are also home to the Stewart P. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge.

Many of the islands are privately owned, and several have existing structures that serve as offshore homes for their owners.

At low tide, one can wade out to the Calf Pasture Beach Island unassisted, and the island takes its name for the cattle that were herded out to the island to graze safely away from predators for decades before the Taylor family gifted the land to the city of Norwalk for park space.

In 1929, the island was purchased by Frederick Lovejoy and Clarence Merrit as a gift for their wives, and it was owned by the Lovejoy family for decades afterwards. The other half of the island was sold in 1940 to a Greenwich family who built a solar home on it.

According to reports, the island boasts a small cottage built around 1955 with a small kitchen and bathroom and a sleeping porch, but no electricity and plumbing. One side of the island contains a fruit orchard with more than 100 trees that Lovejoy planted himself.

Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York University and Southern Connecticut State University.

John Palmer, a Norwalk native, is editor of the Westport Journal, and has covered community news in Fairfield County and Massachusetts for over 30 years. He can be contacted at jpalmer@westportjournal.com.