V20 Group Begins Development Of The Heights Project In Darien

DARIEN, CT — V20 Group (V20), LLC, a real estate investment and development company headquartered in Darien, is set to embark on a new development in the Noroton Heights area of town called "The Heights."

V20 and its partners are acquiring four acres of land in the former Noroton Heights Shopping Center from the Palmer family of Darien, the real estate company said in a news release.

First Selectman Monica McNally said on Monday during the Board of Selectmen meeting that site demolition began last week. V20 Group hopes to begin site wrk and excavation on the property in the spring.

The Heights will consist of 28,765 square feet of ground floor retail and commercial space. That will include a Goddard School, which will occupy nearly 11,500 square feet of the footprint, two full service restaurants, and two fast casual restaurants, along with two other retail storefronts.

The second and third floors of the development will include 65 luxury residential rental apartments. The approved design calls for the construction of 31 one-bedroom units, 30 two-bedroom units, and 4 three-bedroom units.

Per previous approval by Darien's Planning & Zoning commission, 15 percent of the 65 units will be affordable units, which is more than is required by both the state of Connecticut and the town of Darien.

Jon Vaccaro, managing partner and founder of the V20 Group, said the completion of the Noroton Heights Neighborhood is a game changer for the community and the town.

"The modernization of the Heights has been in the town’s plans for almost 10 years. At V20, we are pleased to be a part of it," Vaccaro said in a news release. "The newly built Noroton Heights neighborhood will create a very vibrant part of Darien and Fairfield County. The Heights will integrate residential living with retail commerce, offering unparalleled access to transportation."

McNally said in a news release the town is excited to see the developments taking shape.

"With new housing, including affordable units, new day care alternatives, new commercial activity, and convenient access to highways and rails, The Heights will perfectly complement the other new developments in town, offering another center of activity to residents in and around Noroton Heights," she said.

Joe Vaccaro, a partner and president at V20, said the project will fill the gaps within Darien's growing storefront community and cited the Goddard School as a prime example. Joe Vaccaro said the Goddard facility will be the only day care nearby that operates 12 months a year and will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for working parents who commute into New York City.

Additionally, V20’s plans call for four food establishments, two full service restaurants and two quick service restaurants. Joe Vaccaro said these full service restaurants will be ideally located within the complex, along Heights Road, across the street from the Noroton Heights train station and adjacent to outdoor space.

Due to its immediate proximity to the Noroton Heights Metro-North station, Joe Vaccaro said the Goddard School will provide parents with a "safe and convenient pre-kindergarten and preschool option for their children."

Cindy Palmer, one of the owners of Palmer’s Market, said her family is looking forward to being at the center of the Noroton Heights neighborhood’s revitalization.

"As a cornerstone business in Town for more than 100 years, it’s exciting to be part of the revitalization of this neighborhood," Palmer said in a news release. "With the completion of the Darien Commons just around the corner and the Vaccaro project breaking ground in the next few weeks, we think the Neighborhood is going to bring incredible new life to the Darien community. Everything you need will be right at your fingertips in the Heights and with easy parking in both shopping centers."

V20 has set a tentative timeline for construction that is estimated to be less than two years, with the retail tenants expected to open in 2024 and residential units expected in late 2024 and early 2025. Further information on the potential retail tenants will be released in the near future.

V20, which is one of the larger commercial real estate owners within Darien and Fairfield County, shepherded the approved design plans through Darien's Planning & Zoning process in late 2021 and early 2022.

For more information on V20, click here.