Dock & Dine Is Coming Back to Saybrook Point, Just Not Where You Remember It
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
"If we could make our community better as a legacy, I'm all for it." One speaker said that to a standing-room crowd in the Old Saybrook Middle School auditorium on Feb. 2, at the public hearing on what most people now call the Dock & Dine swap. According to the Zip06 account, most supporters that night talked about river access for future generations. Few of them talked about the restaurant.
The name on the new sign will be familiar, which makes it easy to miss what the town actually voted for. The empty lot where Dock & Dine used to stand is set to become a public park. The restaurant is moving into the Vicki Duffy Pavilion, which until now has been town property used for community programs. Seen from College Street, the bigger change at Saybrook Point is the land coming back to public use.
On March 31, 2026, voters approved the exchange 1,993 to 726. First Selectman Carl Fortuna called the result "a clear mandate for the town to proceed." The deal involves two neighboring properties that trade places:
| 145 College Street | 155 College Street | |
|---|---|---|
| Known as | Former Dock and Dine lot | Vicki Duffy Pavilion |
| Size or scale | 2.2 acres | 3,471 sq. ft. restaurant proposed |
| Before the swap | Owned by The Point, LLC, with Jon Kodama listed as a principal | Owned by the town, used for community programs |
| After the swap | Town-owned passive park for walking and fishing | Kodama owns the building, and the town leases him the land under it |
| Terms | Town pays for park design and construction | $1 a year for 25 years, with three 25-year renewal options |
The lease protects the town in a few ways. When the lease ends, the land goes back to the town. If a natural disaster puts the restaurant out of business, the owner has two years to rebuild, with a possible one-year extension. If it isn't rebuilt in that window, the lease ends and the land goes back to the town. If more than half of the restaurant is ever sold to another entity, the town has the right of first refusal.
Dock & Dine was heavily damaged by Tropical Storm Irene and then by Hurricane Sandy the following year, in the early 2010s. The building was later torn down, and the Harbor News reports that several redevelopment proposals since then have failed. Because the parcel sits in a high-hazard flood zone, rebuilding there has been hard and expensive. By August 2026, The Connecticut Scoop counted nearly 14 years of vacancy.
Those years explain why some voters backed the deal. Speakers at the February hearing said they preferred it to the risk of a private developer buying the site and building something less desirable. An unpaid tax balance of more than $24,000 had shown up on the town website the year before, and Fortuna said all taxes on the parcel have since been paid.
The environmental checks came back clean. A Phase One assessment found no contamination issues. Phase Two soil testing wasn't required, but the town did it anyway "for peace of mind," and on May 21 Fortuna told the Harbor News those results showed no concerns either. He estimated the two studies cost the town about $12,000.
The plans submitted to the town turn the pavilion into a casual restaurant. The dining room and a three-season enclosure together seat 113, and a patio adds 87 more seats outside. Kodama has said he plans to run it year-round.
When the Planning Commission reviewed it on Aug. 19, Attorney Edward Cassella, representing the applicant, described the plan:
Parking was the main concern raised that night. Cassella said the seat count requires 86 spaces and the site will have 99. He also noted that people can reach the restaurant by boat, by bike or on foot. One question was whether Saybrook Point Inn had commented on the application, and Cassella said he didn't know whether the First Selectman had spoken with the inn. Town officials have said the mini golf course next door will not be affected.
Kodama has run this kind of place before. In 2023, The Day reported that he owned JTK Management Restaurants, the parent company of Go Fish, Steak Loft, Breakwater and Dock & Dine.
The building the town is giving up is named for Vicki Duffy. In 2013, The Day reported she was marking 40 years as Old Saybrook's Parks and Recreation director. The programs held in her pavilion need new homes. The town has listed the Estuary, Acton Public Library, The Kate and a possible new open-air pavilion as options. At its July meeting, Parks & Recreation was still looking for space for Yoga and Bridge, and the Jazzercise location on Main Street and a church came up as possibilities.
The park is the other half of what the town gets. Fortuna has floated a new open-air pavilion with a screened area for three-season use, though no design has been finalized. His early estimate for the park and pavilion was about $500,000, and he acknowledged the final cost could be higher. Possible funding sources include the town's capital nonrecurring fund, surplus budget money and state grants. The town's FAQ says the cost will depend on the final scope and on public input.
The town received 12 bids from landscape architects by late July. The selection committee's Sept. 14 minutes record "No action taken" on recommending a consultant. In May, Fortuna expected the design and public outreach phases to take several months once a firm is hired.
The restaurant has moved through its reviews faster than the park has.
The public record doesn't yet show a deed transfer or a signed pavilion lease. The September zoning filing lists the Town of Old Saybrook as owner of both College Street parcels and The Point, LLC as applicant. No opening date has been announced, and any date you see quoted is a guess until the town's approvals come through.
The Zoning Commission meets Monday, Oct. 5, at 6 p.m. in the first-floor conference room at Town Hall, 302 Main Street. Meetings are hybrid, and dial-in details are posted on the commission's web page. The Dock & Dine special exception and coastal site plan review is scheduled to open there. The same commission approved The Kate's 7,500-square-foot addition at its last meeting on Sept. 21, so two of Old Saybrook's best-known gathering places are now in front of the same board within a month.
The town has posted the swap's background documents in its Saybrook Point revitalization overview and FAQ. The Harbor News has followed the deal since February, from the referendum preview to the environmental testing update. The park will get a public input process once a designer is hired, and that is when residents will have a say in how the 2.2 acres at 145 College Street are laid out for walking and fishing.
Changes at Saybrook Point affect more than one property. When a waterfront lot changes from private to public use, it shifts traffic, parking and how people get to the water for everyone nearby. If you own on the Point, or along the river, and want to talk through how the swap could affect your property, Teri Lewis brings more than 20 years of marina experience to those questions. Request a Concierge Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
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