Digital rendering of houses to be built at 745 Townsend.
A Wallingford-based developer has purchased a 2.5‑acre stretch of vacant land on the former Townshend estate property — and plans to build 11 single-family homes, to be sold for $879,900 and up, right next door to the historic mansion-turned-wedding venue.
That sale was recorded on the city land records database on March 7.
According to the relevant warranty deed, Townsend Avenue Development North LLC paid $1.3 million to purchase 745 Townsend Ave. from East Shore Partners LLC.
The property last changed hands in 2021 as part of a combined $2.6 million deal involving the four addresses that make up the 26.25-acre former Townshend family home and surrounding properties at 701, 709, 725, and 745 Townsend Ave. The city last appraised the newly sold vacant land at 745 Townsend Ave. for tax purposes as worth $270,500.
The new owner is a holding company controlled by Jonathan Sullivan and Robert Pesapne of Wallingford.
The seller is a holding company controlled by Chuck Mascola, Marcella Mascola, and Salvatore Marottoli. That latter company — East Shore Partners LLC — still owns the three other Townshend estate properties, including the mansion at 709 Townsend that the Mascolas’ renovated and reopened as The Estate special events venue a little over a year ago.
In a Tuesday interview, Chuck Mascola said that his company sold 745 Townsend, the field just north of the former mansion, to further a plan that they’ve been working on for years and have received a number of city approvals for. That is, to sell this property to a builder who will construct single-family homes on the property. He said this residential development is consistent with the Townshend family’s plans for the property, per original maps provided to the Mascolas that Henry Townshend had hand-drawn.
His company’s plan “had always been to retain and restore the mansion and the eight farm buildings” on the Townshend estate property, he said. Restoring that mansion and turning it into a code-compliant events venue has cost a lot of money, he said. “Funds from the sale of 745 [Townsend] are being used to pay for the restoration of the mansion.”
The new owners, meanwhile, are partnering with the Wallingford-based Martone Building Group to construct 11 single-family homes. “We have retained legal control over what the project looks like,” Mascola said, to ensure the residential development is “consistent with the quality of the neighborhood.”
According to a new website focused on the single-family-home development, which will be called Residences at The Estate, the prospective builder has already sold two of the 11 future houses, with a third listed as “reserved.”
The new single-family houses’ sale prices start at $879,900, according to that website. “We offer a diverse range of home styles tailored to meet the needs of everyone — from active adults and city residents looking to downsize, to newcomers seeking a seamless single-family home experience,” that site reads. “Our commitment is to provide comfortable and luxurious living spaces that our residents can truly be proud to call home.”
Jonathan Sullivan and Frank Cotrona, speaking on behalf of the property’s new developer, described their plans for 745 Townsend as building out not just brick-and-mortar houses, but also a “lifestyle community” and a whole “new neighborhood” right next to The Estate.
They said construction should begin immediately on the first three homes that are already sold or reserved, and the first residents should move in by the end of the year. The remaining houses will be built after buyers are lined up and submit their preferences for a variety of design considerations. “This will not be a rushed neighborhood,” Cotrona said, given that each house will be customized to the particular buyer. The 11 houses should be built over the course of two or three years according to “what the homeowners choose to do.”
Asked about why the starting prices are so relatively high, Cotrona said that the houses will all be energy efficient, will have “higher-end interior amenities,” and and will have a “level of detail” customized to each buyer that is unique in this market.
Mascola said that the owners of these to-be-built homes will have access to the grounds of the former Townshend estate as part of their homeownership association.
As for the events venue at 709 Townsend, Mascola said that he’s proud of how it’s working out so far, even if it took longer and more money than he initially expected in order to renovate and open.
He said the renovated 220-year-old former mansion now hosts weddings, baby showers, private parties, bar mitzvahs. He said that the venue hosted a New Orleans jazz-soundtracked funeral for the late New Haven developer Joel Schiavone. It’s also hosted outdoor Catholic masses and events rented out by Yale.
Proposed layout for new Residences at The Estate.
Contributed photo
The Townshend mansion-turned-events venue.