WILTON — A hair salon, coffee shop, Mediterranean restaurant, pizzeria, dental practice and clothing store are among the businesses interested in moving into the newly renovated shopping complex at 33 Danbury Road.
Construction on the Route 7 complex, which began last August, is well underway. The project will include six apartments on the second floor and retail space on the ground floor, including a quick-service restaurant, according to Tommy Febbraio, a Realtor and property manager with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Fairfield.
Located in a highly visible section of Danbury Road near the Norwalk border, the redevelopment will transform a property that had fallen into disrepair.
“The aesthetics, the parking — it’s going to be all brand new,” Febbraio said. “It’s going to have a little bit more of a modern look to it.”
Febbraio described the project as a potential “crown jewel” for Wilton. Plans call for 58 parking spaces, along with four one-bedroom apartments and two two-bedroom units.
The building, originally constructed in 1961, is undergoing a comprehensive renovation. The exterior, retail interiors and parking lot are all being rebuilt or upgraded.
Property owner Chel Associates of Westport, which purchased the site in May 2024 for $2.025 million, recently submitted plans to the town outlining the remaining improvements. The proposal includes a new elevator serving second-floor residents, upgrades to a fire escape, the conversion of former office space into six apartments, and repairs, repainting and replacement of building facades.
Febbraio said he hopes the property will be ready for occupancy by mid-summer.
The remaining work is scheduled for review by the Planning & Zoning Commission at its June 8 meeting.
Although several prospective tenants have submitted letters of intent, leases cannot be finalized until the town approves the remaining work and confirms parking requirements.
“We don’t have a list of the new tenants yet because a lot of it depends on what the town will allow us to put there based on the parking equations,” he said.
He said he expects to obtain the necessary permits within the next few months.
None of the businesses that previously occupied the shopping center plan to return. Some relocated elsewhere in town, while others have closed or retired.
Gateway Art & Framing and Pat Gilbertie Plumbing & Heating moved next door to 35 Danbury Road. Linda Freyer, owner of the Freyer Academy of Ballet, found a new home at 12 Old Mill Road in Georgetown. Alpha Cleaners and Heritage Hobbies have closed.
The redevelopment comes as Wilton experiences a surge in residential construction. According to a CT Insider analysis of active projects with at least 10 planned units, Wilton leads Connecticut in residential development activity on a per-capita basis. The analysis found that one new apartment is either under construction or under active review by zoning and wetlands boards for every 16 residents.
Along Danbury Road alone, 474 apartments have been approved, with additional projects in the pipeline. During a recent presentation on the proposed 2027 Board of Selectmen budget, First Selectman Toni Boucher said Wilton could have as many as 1,200 new housing units by early 2027.
Staff writer Alexander Soule contributed to this report.
