Mystic ― Six months into construction of phase two of his massive Perkins Farm development, local developer Dave Lattizori is preparing to begin lining up tenants.

“This project has really been a labor of love for our family for over 20 years, so to see it take shape in the way that it has, and be so well received by the town, is really a dream come true,” Lattizori said on Friday.

Harbor Heights II, which broke ground in June on 123 luxury apartments, including 32 fourth-floor penthouse apartments, will begin pre-leasing early next year for the planned September opening of the new four-story apartment complex.

The one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments will rent in the $2,000 and $3,000-a-month range and have extra storage space and high-end finishes among other features.

“We have beautiful hardwood flooring, granite countertops, nickel finishes, glass backsplashes, so it’s really kind of a luxury-style apartment that we’re trying to achieve,” he said.

Lattizori said the market rate development was inspired by a desire to create a community where professionals and empty nesters could maintain active lifestyles, but also have the convenience of nearby medical providers.

To that end, the new complex will be much like the original, and have a gym with high-end equipment and a seasonal, resort-style pool, fire pits and upgraded poolside lounge furniture among other features.

The first phase of the project, valued at $85 million, contains a 50,000-square foot Hartford Health Care medical building that opened in January 2020, as well as 121 luxury apartments known as Harbor Heights and 50 townhouses. It generates $1 million a year in tax revenue for the Town of Stonington and created 100 permanent jobs.

Lattizori said the rental units in phase one are fully occupied, and despite opening on the first day of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, the project has been a great success.

He said the location also contributes to the appeal of the development.

“We’re the highest point in Mystic so you really kind of see over the entire town, and it’s a really unique perspective,” he said. “From the top floor, the fourth-floor units, you can actually see all the way out to Fishers Island Sound and Fishers Island.”

He said he was grateful for the overwhelming support of the community and attributed the success of the project to the increasing popularity of vibrant coastal towns like Mystic.

“I think Mystic is not just becoming a year-round tourist destination but it’s also becoming a year-round destination to work, play and live, and the goal of our campus has always been to cater to those people who kind of want to live in a vibrant coastal town like Mystic,” he said.

The 2021 approval for the second phase of development also included a 72,000-square-foot expansion of the Hartford HealthCare medical building, though Lattizori said there are no concrete plans to undertake that part of the project at this time.

More information on the project is available at the Harbor Heights Mystic website: www.hmystic.com.