Father-daughter duo Lindsay Marottoli Greenberg and Salvatore Marottoli are developing a luxury 147-unit apartment complex on the Branford, Conn. waterfront. The project, Mariners Landing, will feature resort-style amenities, including boat slips, pool, fitness center, and more, offering a unique living experience without the hassles of homeownership.
Rendering courtesy of Mariners' Landing Branford
The new 147-unit riverfront project at 56 Maple St. is taking shape, with a trio of four-story gambrel-roofed buildings nearly finished and the groundbreaking for a fourth expected soon.
Realtor Lindsay Marottoli Greenberg nimbly climbed a dark, unfinished stairway on a recent summer day to show her guests the view from a finished unit on the fourth floor of a new luxury apartment complex in Branford, Conn.
Once at the top at Mariners Landing, the visitors were rewarded with sweeping views of the Branford River. Marottoli Greenberg was careful to point out that tenants will not have to make the climb as elevators will be installed before the project's completion.
The new 147-unit riverfront project at 56 Maple St. is taking shape, with a trio of four-story gambrel-roofed buildings nearly finished and the groundbreaking for a fourth expected soon. Rents will range from $2,400 to $4,300.
Marottoli Greenberg has been walking building sites throughout the state and in Vermont with her dad, Branford developer Salvatore Marottoli, since she was "like 3 years old."
The 6-acre parcel was once part of the former Malleable Iron Fittings (MIF) factory, a major employer in Branford for over a century until it closed in the 1970s.
Fast forward some 30 years to when the lot was part of the Anchor Reef Planned Development District, which the town approved in 2000 and was partially built out in 2005-2006.
But the property upon which Mariners Landing is being built had sat dormant for nearly two decades, according to CT Insider.
"There was no building here," Marottoli Greenberg recalled. "It was just overgrown with weeds and broken-down fences and potholes as big as a Jeep."
Salvatore Marottoli and his partner, Robert Sachs, later bought the property for $3 million and expects to spend $40 million on the project, he told the Connecticut news service.
Marattolis Bring Different Talents to Project
The way Marottoli Greenberg describes it, Mariners Landing is a father-daughter endeavor, as she runs the real estate end of it while her dad and Sachs work the development end.
Their first major project together was the Marina Village in Branford, approved in 2021, where, she said, "We would both meet prospective buyers and together sold about 10 out of the 15 homes before a shovel even hit the ground."
"I am lucky to be a dad working with his daughter," Marottoli interjected.
He told CT Insider that he admires his daughter's real estate savvy and the fact she "knows everyone and keeps us all on our toes. She has a real concern for people, and that builds friendships and loyalty."
The elder Marottoli also would like to get her more involved on the development side, he added.
At the Marina Village site, they demolished three existing homes and constructed 15 three-bedroom houses in a coastal style, calling to mind Massachusetts' Nantucket Island or Cape May, N.J. The effort was part of the development team's project to revive the derelict 4.11-acre Goodsell Point Marina as well.
With both Goodsell Point and Mariners Landing, the father-daughter team focused their efforts on "two blighted properties on the river," according to Marottoli. The marina, he said, has a full waiting list of prospective buyers.
"He brought the Goodsell marina back to life," Marottoli Greenberg added.
Resort-Style Living Without Extra Fees
Standing on the new concrete river walkway just steps from the Branford River, Marottoli talked about his vision for Mariners Landing and pointed to scattered boat slips that will be replaced with 26 new ones, all served by a new dock.
"We think a lot about these projects before we build them," he explained. "So, for us, it begins with a love of Branford and a love of the Branford River.
"[It is] one of the few towns that has a river that you can [access from] Long Island Sound and take a large boat past five restaurants all the way down to the brewery at the end of the river. That's very rare in Connecticut," Marottoli said.
His plans are to hopefully bring resort-style living to Branford at Mariners Landing, "where it's an apartment/resort."
With the jumble of heavy equipment, work trucks and dumpsters currently at the site, it may be difficult for an observer to picture that dream right now.
But Marottoli envisions Mariners Landing having grilling areas, fire pits, lounge chairs and hammocks surrounding the large pool, now just a freshly dug hole in the ground. There also will be a boat launch for tenants and the public, he told CT Insider.
Despite being on the riverfront, the property is not considered to be in the flood zone, according to Marottoli. He had the site filled in to bring the grade up to a 13-ft. elevation, while the flood zone goes up to 12 ft., he added.
"So here, they'll live in one of these units, but they'll have a beautiful pool, they'll have a fitness center, they'll have covered parking," Marottoli explained, while noting that, eventually, the fourth building will complete the project with a marketplace, a restaurant on the first floor and a large deck on the river.
Comparing Mariners Landing to similar developments in Florida, Marottoli said, "[Here], you can live on the water, and you don't have to buy a $2 million house. And the other thing that was part of the vision was, for a lot of people, they've had it with a mortgage. They've had it with condominium fees and assessments. They've had it with property taxes."
Rather, folks will be attracted to his waterfront apartment complex because "they want to pay one rent, and live a great life," he said.
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