New Fairfield Apartment Complex Celebrates Grand Opening

FAIRFIELD, CT — Town officials and stakeholders alike are excited to see the success of the new Alto Fairfield Metro apartments at 1401 Kings Highway.

On Thursday afternoon, the company held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony in celebration of the achievement, with food, drink and visits from some town officials.

“We’re very, very excited about Alto and their grand opening, which expands this entire section of town,” said Beverly Balaz, president of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce.

The two buildings that make up the complex include 160 residential units — all of which have been leased, including studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and lofted apartments.

The building also has 13,000-square feet of retail space on the ground floor, which is in the process of being let, as well as a large adjacent parking structure with 510 spaces.

This apartment joins 1375 Kings Highway and 777 Commerce Drive as part of a complex just northeast of the Fairfield Metro Train Station, east of Ash Creek Boulevard, which is owned by develop Abbey Road Advisors, a real estate investment firm, and Skala Construction, both of which are based in Fairfield.

“We are really excited that we hit 100 percent inside of 12 months,” said Roman Dziuba, district manager for Konover Residential, which manages the complex.

Only last November, he said, the company being leasing apartments in the first building.

“We were hoping for 10 a month,” he said, and at best expected around 25 by the end of 2020.

Instead, 58 units were rented out by the end of the year, he said, and more quickly followed.

“It gave us a lot of momentum,” Dziuba said.

Along with offering apartments that are conveniently located literally yards away from Fairfield’s newest train station, developers and town officials also see the complex as the creation of a neighborhood with burgeoning retail and many building amenities.

“We’re building a neighborhood,” said Mark Barnhart, Fairfield’s director of community & economic development, noting that this area didn’t have a lot of “there there,” but now has the potential to become a center.

While it was assumed most of the new residents would be young workers and commuters, Barnhart said they were surprised to find that about one-third of the new renters were empty nesters looking to downsize. Another third were people in transition for various reasons, likely to stay on a more temporary basis, while one third was in the younger demographic.

“It’s a great mix,” he said, “and it appeals to a whole variety of people.”

The buildings themselves pride a range of amenities, according to Dziuba, including the large adjacent parking garage, gym, community garden, game room, and a virtual training library.

Building “A” also features a 5,000-square foot sky terrace, which is available to all tenants.

“We don’t have a lot of this product, so for a lot of folks this is a great option,” Barnhart said.