Late Night Bites at Old Mill Grocery
Old Mill Grocery was bustling just before closing time this evening as dinner orders and desserts headed out the door. WestportLocal.com photo
Good Day for a Good Humor
A vintage Good Humor ice cream truck remained along Soundview Drive as passersby young and younger stopped to peruse the classic collection of frozen treats. The Good Humor company began to deliver ice cream in converted Model T Fords in the late 1920s, according to the Company, and continued to innovate up until they began to use the Ford F-100 series trucks that we can still see today - most popular due to their being sold-off in the 1970s. The Good Humor Man, and in this case: woman - rang their bells on many of the Westport community’s hottest days along the waterfront for decades. Today was no exception. WestportLocal.com photo
OMG: Old Mill Grocery and Deli Open for 103rd Season with New Crew at Helm
WestportLocal.com photos. Click to enlarge. The shoreline corner store opened today for its 103rd season under a new, yet familiar name with a team of intrepid neighbors at the helm. The Old Mill Grocery & Deli brings the history of the property back to the forefront of everyone’s minds as its community connections will be propelled into 2022 with renowned food service by The Granola Bar Hospitality Group and ownership that’s dedicated to the community’s future.
From bacon/egg/cheeses to pasta bolognese, the shop will crank out old and new favorites in addition to the stock of snacks, drinks, clothing, and other shoreline sundries seven days each week from 7 AM until 9 PM. From teenagers on bicycles to parents walking in the early morning: OMG&D is back and here to stay with every french fry sold and with every moment spent chatting on its picnic benches.
The new lease on life for 222 Hills Point Road came just as it was at risk of development and demolition for residential housing. Through philanthropy and quick action by neighbors who formed the Soundview Empowerment Alliance, “in a few short months, the team raised nearly $1.3 million dollars from more than 500 donors, secured a mortgage from Fairfield County Bank, and in May of 2022 closed on the purchase of the property.” With a mission to save the property, preserve and evolve the business, and then to support the training and employment of individuals with disabilities - the SEA and TGB Hospitality Group have made the store a community landmark both physically and emotionally for all who cross over its threshold.
“The Delamar Hotel Westport”: Westport Inn Makeover will go before P and Z Commission in September
Click to enlarge artist rendering. Westport Planning & Zoning Department Press ReleasePlanning and Zoning Director Mary Young has announced that the proposal to upgrade the Westport Inn at 1595 Post Road East will NOT be reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission on July 11, 2022, as recently reported in the media. The public hearing is postponed to September 12, 2022.
P&Z Director Mary Young identified the plans originally submitted included both hotel rooms and housing units. The project was subsequently revised to exclude the housing units. The current proposal is to redevelop the existing 116 room Hotel to 85 rooms. Site improvements include the addition/expansion of landscaped areas, a new 3-story addition, demolition of the front building, minor additions to the rear building, pool and rear dining terrace, and driveway/ parking improvements. To facilitate the proposed changes, Text Amendment #818 was filed to create appropriate standards for the redevelopment and site design. All application materials can be viewed on the Town of Westport’s website here.
Rick Redniss, Principal Planner at Redniss and Mead, and Bruce Beinfield, Founding Principal of Beinfield Architects, are the consultants assisting WI Associates, the new property owners, to convert the Westport Inn into the “The Delamar Hotel Westport.”