Guilford Pursues Purchase Of Beloved Former Restaurant Property For $3 Million

GUILFORD, CT — In a move that First Selectman Matt Hoey says will increase and preserve access to the shoreline, the Guilford Board of Selectmen voted on Monday to purchase the property at 505 Whitfield St., the former home of the beloved Guilford Mooring restaurant and related buildings.

The board authorized Hoey to sign a letter of intent to purchase the property for $3 million. Online information shows there are 1.9 total acres at 505 Whitfield St.

The Guilford Lobster Pound, which is also listed at the address, commented on a Facebook post from the town about the announcement.

"We would like to clarify that the property referenced in this post does not include the land of the Guilford Lobster Pound. Our family-owned business is not part of this sale, and we are not closing or going anywhere. We remain fully committed to serving our community as we always have," the comment said.

Hoey told Patch Monday afternoon that "this is a great opportunity" for Guilford.

"This is a generational opportunity for us to preserve a feel and sense of community along the shoreline, and give folks an opportunity to be able to enjoy access to our coastal resources," he said.

The Guilford Mooring closed this past November after 24 years in business.

Once it was known the property was for sale, Hoey said the town reached out to the property owner through the Guilford Land Acquisition Commission and Guilford Economic Development Coordinator John Tarutis.

There are no definitive plans yet for the property, Hoey stressed, but he did note that a restaurant will not reopen at the site "for a couple of reasons."

"One, which is most likely the reason the most recent restaurant group has decided they did not want to continue to operate there, is the repetitive losses as a result of storms and significant high tides in terms of flooding," Hoey said.

Hoey mentioned a possible pocket park with benches, a pavilion with restrooms, or even a food truck court as possibilities.

"There's already the Lobster Pound down there, which we would hope would stay in place, particularly since they have a long-term lease to utilize that property. Anything we do, we'd want to incorporate the Lobster Pound," Hoey said.

The potential purchase also plays into a longer-term vision that's been talked about for several years about creating a walkway from the marina to Jacob's Beach along the coastal side, Hoey said.

"This gives us the opportunity to restore that to a more pristine look and more of a coastal feel than a commercial area," he added.

More conversations need to be had with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about what can be done, Hoey said, since they have jurisdiction over the property from a floodplain and flood control perspective.

There are several benchmarks outlined in the letter of intent that Hoey signed on Monday.

If the town fails to close on the property by April 15, the purchase price will go up to $3.1 million until Sept. 1, at which point Guilford would have to put down a non-refundable deposit, Hoey explained.

"The reason we are putting these windows in is we have come to learn that there are some funding opportunities the town could take advantage of, other than the ones we have at our immediate disposal here," Hoey said.

According to an announcement, the town said the purchase is expected to be funded using municipal bonds and through potential grants from FEMA and the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT-DEEP), and state bonding.

The Guilford Board of Finance was scheduled to hold a special meeting Monday night to vote on the selectmen's recommendation to purchase the property, and potentially spend up to the purchase price out of the town's bond authorization for open space acquisition and land acquisition reserve fund.

Hoey said that step is "purely contingency at this point because we don't know if that's in fact going to be the avenue we finance it through."

The proposed purchase has also been referred to the Planning & Zoning Commission for review.

A final Town Meeting vote is required and scheduled for Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center. The meeting will allow residents to speak on the purchase.

"In the meantime, we'll start working on the bones of a purchase and sales agreement, and we'll be moving forward at some point with a closing date," Hoey said.

Owned by Mike Romei and Fran Pellegrino, and with chef Anthony Pellegrini, Guilford Mooring offered salads, tacos, soups, sandwiches, entrees, and of course, delicious seafood for over two decades.

"Whether you came in for a quick bite, celebrated special occasions, or made us a part of your regular routine, each visit has been an integral part of our story. We are truly honored to have been a part of this community, and we will cherish the friendships we've made along the way," the owners said in a social media post announcing the closure last November.

"While our doors may be closing, the memories and experiences we've shared will stay with us forever. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have served you, and we hope to cross paths again in the future. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being a part of our journey."